O Worship the LORD in the Beauty of Holiness

WHAT IS EVANGELISM?

Martin Luther once said, “Every Christian must become Christ to his neighbor.” Was he suggesting that each Christian should die on a cross to atone for the sins of his neighbors? No, he was saying that Christ is invisible to our unbelieving neighbors. They don’t see the cross, the empty tomb, or the transfigured Jesus. They don’t see Him in His ascended glory, and they don’t see Him at the right hand of the Father. All they see is you and me — and in seeing us, they must see Christ.

That picture of how we relate to Christ—and how Christ relates through us to others—has always meant something to me. When I was converted, it was through a man who told me about Christ, and though I can’t remember a word he said, I saw the power of Christ in him. When I saw it, I knew that I had to have it, whatever it was (I certainly didn’t know at the time). He was a faithful witness to Christ.

The Meaning of Evangelism

What does it mean to be a witness to Christ? What is evangelism? Are they the same thing? The word ‘evangelism’ obviously has something to do with the evangel, the good message. Evangelism, in its simplest definition, is “gospeling” or “making the gospel known.”

The Great Commission in Matthew’s gospel is one of the church’s great charters for evangelism. It reads:

“Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:16-20)

Notice that Jesus prefaces this commission by announcing to His disciples that He has been given all authority on heaven and earth. The impetus for the task of the church to be involved in evangelism resides in the authority of Christ, who commands that the church be engaged in certain kinds of activity.

The Legitimacy of Evangelism

In recent years, discussion has emerged on whether evangelism is even an appropriate enterprise of the church. Yet it seems unthinkable to me that a church should consider whether evangelism is an appropriate enterprise when it has the mandate of the authoritative command of the Lord and Head of the church.

Why has this become a debatable point? Emil Brunner gave one answer in The Mediator, his classic work on Christ. Brunner lashed out at the modern church, saying that the issues of nineteenth-century liberalism, for example, are not a matter of technical debates about minor points of doctrine. Rather, the question is essentially one of unbelief, and we have to recognize that we do live in a time when there is a great deal of unbelief, not only outside the church but inside it as well. When strong unbelief is present, the church’s vision, zeal, passion, and commitment for evangelism tend to decline. Who would be zealous about urging other people to believe something that they themselves do not believe?

But it would be simplistic to assume that every discussion about the legitimacy of evangelism resides in unbelief. That’s certainly a factor, but there are other reasons as well. In many circles, evangelism has a bad name because it conjures up ideas of high-pressure techniques, simplistic buttonholing, and insensitive forms of communication. For others, evangelism implies those high-powered sales pitches that almost intimidate or manipulate people into “responding” in the way the salesperson desires. But that’s not what the Bible teaches us about evangelism.

The Bible teaches that evangelism is the proclamation of the gospel to the whole world. That task is still central to the mission of the church. But notice in Matthew’s account that Jesus is not just interested in declaring a simple message. He goes beyond that, saying, “Make disciples.” The Greek word translated “disciple,” mathētēs, means “one who is a learner or student.” It’s part of the church’s mission to be involved in instructing and catechizing—that is, in discipling—people; this involves not just asking for an initial commitment, but rooting and grounding people in the whole counsel of God. But there’s some overlap between discipling, evangelism, teaching, and so on, which we can see as we consider the mandate given to the church in the opening chapter of the book of Acts.

As Jesus prepared to ascend into heaven, He gathered His disciples around Him. During this last opportunity to speak with Him as a person on earth, the disciples asked Him a question: –“Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6) In other words, was He going to be the messiah they had been hoping from the beginning that He would be? Jesus does not disparage them by saying, “How many times do I have to tell you I’m not going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

What He says is very important for understanding the mission of the church: “And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:7-8)

Witnessing and Evangelism

Jesus tells the disciples, first of all, that there are certain things that are in the hands of the Father that are none of their business; nothing can frustrate His plans, so they should quit worrying about it. But then, He gives them a mandate: “You will be my witnesses.” Often, people use the verb to witness interchangeably with the verb to evangelize, as if the two words were synonyms. But these terms do not mean the same thing in the New Testament, though they are certainly intimately and inseparably related. In the New Testament, witnessing is a generic word that encompasses different kinds of ways of communicating the gospel—and one of these ways is evangelism.

Therefore, all evangelism is witness, but not all witness is evangelism. Evangelism is a special kind of witness. To bear witness to something, according to the New Testament, is to call attention to it. The word for “witness” in Greek is martyria, from which we get the English word “martyr.” New Testament Christians understood that one way that they called attention to the truth of Christ, one way they sought to make visible the invisible kingdom, that is, to bear witness to it, was by dying for it. They made manifest something that was invisible to their unbelieving neighbors.

Jesus was leaving, going to the right hand of the Father, to His coronation. He was going to be crowned the King of that kingdom that He had announced. But we don’t see the kingdom; it’s invisible. You can’t look up in the sky and see Jesus sitting on a throne. Some people have sought to spiritualize the kingdom altogether, saying, “It’s something that’s in the hearts of men.” No, the kingdom of God is an objective reality, not just a subjective feeling—but it’s invisible. So, what is the church’s task? To make visible the invisible kingdom of God. That’s what witnessing is all about.

To witness means that you show people something they don’t see. There are many ways to do this, according to Scripture. When we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we’re doing something visible that shows forth the Lord’s death until He comes.

Jesus spoke of another way to witness: “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (John 13:35) The way Christians relate to each other—which is something that people can see—bears witness to Christ. When we feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit the imprisoned, we bear witness to the compassion of Christ. The Christian, without converting people to Christ, can still bear witness to who Jesus is and what He is like.

There’s a certain sense in which the bearing of witness to the kingdom of Christ is every human being’s God-given responsibility, because every human being is made in the image of God. To be made in the image of God is to demonstrate to the whole creation the character of God. But since the fall, the image of God in man has been obscured; we have not reflected and mirrored the holiness of God to a fallen world.

Evangelism, on the other hand, is the actual proclamation—either oral or written, but certainly verbal—of the gospel. It is declaring the message of the person and work of Christ, who He is and what He has done on behalf of sinners like you and me.

That means there are several things that evangelism is not. It is not living your life as an example. It is not building relationships with people. It is not giving one’s personal testimony. And it is not inviting someone to church. These things may be good and helpful, but they are not evangelism. They may lay the groundwork for evangelism. They may allow others to relate to us, or they may cause someone to be curious about why we live the way we do. But they are not evangelism, because they don’t proclaim the gospel. They may say something about Jesus, but they do not proclaim the person and work of Christ.

Our Role in Evangelism

When we consider our own role in witnessing and evangelism, we have to be careful that we’re not only doing pre-evangelism and making appointments for other people to do evangelism, and that we aren’t simply being a silent witness. We must be sure that the church is fulfilling its mandate to do evangelism, which is the actual proclamation of the person and work of Christ. That’s the message that God has endowed with power, through which He has chosen the foolishness of preaching to save the world. For it is the “power of God unto salvation,” as the Apostle Paul described it (Romans 1:16).

Not every Christian is called to be an evangelist. In the New Testament, we see the church defined as a body with unity in diversity; the Holy Spirit gives gifts to every member of the body of Christ. Every single person in the church has been gifted by the Holy Spirit to do and perform some task to bear witness to Christ. There are teachers, evangelists, administrators, and a host of other offices that Christ establishes in His church. Everyone, no matter their gift, must be willing to make a confession of faith themselves. But not everyone is called to be what the New Testament calls an evangelist, someone who focuses on proclaiming the gospel of Christ.

Some may give a sigh of relief, noting the difficulty they have with telling others about their faith. But remember this: every Christian must be willing to confess Christ with their mouths, or they’re far from the kingdom. Likewise, it is every Christian’s duty to make sure that the task of evangelism is done. Are all teachers? No—but it is your responsibility as a member of the body of Christ to make sure that teaching is done. Is everyone a missionary? No—but it is your responsibility to make sure that the missionary enterprise is carried out. So, we all have a part in the responsibility of the whole mission of the church.

There is no enterprise that’s more exciting than evangelism. I’m not an evangelist; I’m a teacher. It seems obvious to me and to those who know me that my gift and calling is to teach. When I was a new Christian, I first volunteered to be an evangelist; God said “no.” Next, I wanted to be a missionary; God said “no” again. I did not want to be a teacher; but I probably talked to a thousand people one-on-one about Jesus Christ before I ever saw a single person respond to the gospel. There’s still a sense in which I have the heart of an evangelist, and I care about evangelists, but it is not my gift.

We know that only the Holy Spirit can change a heart; but to be used by God to communicate that gospel to a human being—is there any greater privilege in this world than that? If the man who led me to Christ were convicted of murder in the first degree, or if he scandalized the Christian community by unbecoming conduct, or repudiated his friendship with me, I would still be eternally grateful that he opened his mouth and taught me about Christ. When I think of him, I think again of that text, Romans 10:15 – “How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”

Epilogue

The above is adapted from RC Sproul’s book “What is the Great Commission?”

May this reading encourage us all to be witnesses for Christ, to use our gifts to disciple, teach, and evangelise. If you would like to try teaching in Sunday school, approach our Pastors or Elder Roger our SS Superintendent. To teach teens and younger children, please speak to Elder Shao Sheng, sisters Hannah Tan and Iris Loe.

May I also encourage one and all to join our Evangelism outreach on the first and third Sunday afternoons of the month. We meet at Beulah Centre level 2, EDD room at 12:30pm for prayer before going out in the church van. We also need help to pack the tracts before Evangelism. It is truly a privilege and joy when we go and share the gospel message of Christ with others!

– Elder Terence Tan

Appointments for the Week

Monday, Nov 6

        7.30 pm     ERBL Exam

Tuesday, Nov 7

        8.00 pm     Prayer Meeting (Dn Benedict Sim)

Wednesday, Nov 8

      10.00 am     SF Meeting

Thursday, Nov 9

      10.00 am     Ladies’ Prayer Group

        7.30 pm     No ERBL Lecture

Friday, Nov 10

        3.00 pm     MM Meeting

Saturday, Nov 11

      11.00 am     Faith NBC

        3.00 pm     LTF / YLM / MM

Sunday, Nov 12

  8.00 am     The Lord’s Will Be Done Acts 21:1-36 (Rev William Yap)

  8.00 am Choir Practice

  9.15 am Library (Sanctuary Balcony)

  9.40 am Sunday School

10.15 am Coffee Corner

11.00 am The Lord’s Will Be Done Acts 21:1-36 (Rev William Yap)

11.00 am Children’s Ministry

11.00 am Chinese Service (MPH)

11.00 am Filipina Service (Rm 1-6)

12.15 pm Library (Sanctuary Balcony)

  2.30 pm Thai Service (LMH)

  4.00 pm Indonesian Service (Rm 1-6)

Announcements

Catechism Class for Easter Baptism on 31 March 2024

will commence on 17 December 2023 at 9.30am. Please pre-register by emailing to Church Office. Those seeking baptism, reaffirmation of faith and transfer of membership must attend the catechism class. Closing date: 10 December 2023.

An Evening of Praise – With One Voice

Audio & e-booklet are available in the Church Website, at link: https://www.lifebpc.com/index.php/component/k2/with-one-voice  The video clip is available in the Life RTL, access by its homepage shortcut.

Door to Door Evangelism 5 Nov 2023 (Today)

Meet in Beulah Room 2-11, 12.30pm Contact: Desmond or Amos 

Traffic Wardens

Lifers are invited to serve our Lord as Traffic Wardens on Sunday. Kindly contact Dn Choong  or Bro Kelvin if you are available.

Condolence

Our condolences to bro G Lee and family on the homegoing of his father, Mr Lee DL (72 years old), on 28 Oct 2023. 

MM Thanksgiving Fellowship Meeting 25 Nov 2023; 4-7 pm 

“My Three Pillars of Life” by Rev Daniel Khoo. All are welcome. Dinner is provided. RSVP if you are joining for dinner by contacting Bro Ignatius This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  

Closing date: 29 Oct 2023 (Sunday)

Combined B-P Youth Conference 2023

8 Dec (Fri evening) & 9 Dec (Sat), Beulah MPH. Speaker: Rev Mark Chen Open to all teens & youth! Register at bpilgrims.com/cbpyc2023 by 26 Nov.

YF Camp 2023 

18-22 Dec @ Life B-P Church. Sign up at lifeyf.com before 26 Nov

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