Title: Evangelism Strategy (2 Tim. 4:1~5)
Contents
Evangelism strategy (2 Timothy 4:1-5)
The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is hot these days. After winning the gold medal at the last Beijing Olympics, Korea, the frontier of baseball, has advanced to the quarterfinals again, and in particular, it has been fighting its eternal rival Japan four times so far and is engaged in a close battle. In the process, Doctor Bong Joong-geun and the national right wing also shine brightly, but the spotlight is focused on the mercenary skills of national director Kim In-sik, who leads an uncomfortable body and outwits the opponent.
In 2 Timothy, Paul evokes our identity as Christ's soldiers, fighters, and sowers (2 Timothy 2:3-6). “As regards his appearing before God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom, I solemnly command you to preach the word (2 Timothy 4:1)” (2 Timothy 4:1). , 'before God', this is God's command, that is, a commandment (御命), so you must obey it unconditionally. Second, 'before Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead', evangelism is an important criterion for judgment. Third, 'his appearing' and evangelism are closely related to the end. Fourth, 'by his kingdom', evangelism is closely related to answering prayers (Matthew 6:33). ‘Preaching the Word’ is so important, but what is the strategy, the strategy the Lord gives us?
“Preach the word, always exert yourself in season and out of season, rebuke, rebuke, and exhort with all patience and teaching (2 Timothy 4:2)” It is a strategy of ‘out of season or out of season’. I would like to call it a ‘whether or not’ strategy.The Bible tells us about evangelism, ‘in season or out of season (2 Tim. 4:2)’, ‘whether in the temple or at home (Acts 5:42)’ This is because the ‘whether or not’ strategy is consistently mentioned, such as ‘whether or not (Ezekiel 2:7)’, etc. Therefore, as the Lord’s soldiers, we must faithfully carry out this strategy by throwing our lives away.
(1) “With season or out of season (2 Tim. 4:2),” the evangelist says, there is a time for everything under heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1-6). But there is no time for evangelism. It means don't procrastinate. The thought of ‘I can do it tomorrow’ is like the weeds that the devil sowed in the field of my heart (Matthew 13:25). In Mark 11, on the way back to Jerusalem early in the morning, Jesus, who was very hungry, saw a fig tree and cursed the tree that had only leaves because it was not yet ready to bear fruit (Mark 11:13-14).
The fig tree here refers to his chosen people (Hos. 9:10), and the fruit this tree should bear is the fruit of evangelism. In other words, when the Lord comes by my side, he checks whether there is any fruit or not. Therefore, when the Lord suddenly comes to my side, we must bring forth the fruits of evangelism. That is why we must preach the gospel “in season or out of season.” We must not forget that the idea of procrastinating and doing something when the time is right is Satan's strategy (2 Corinthians 6:2).
(2) Whether in the temple or at home (Acts 5:42), the early church members taught that Jesus is the Christ and did not cease to evangelize whether they were in the temple or at home. Likewise, the place where we stand is the place of evangelism (Luke 14:23). Also, Luke mentions the 'temple' and the 'house' at the same time in Acts 5:42, which means that the gospel must be preached within the temple - to nominal Christians - (Ezekiel 3:5). The gospel must begin with “I” and expand gradually (Acts 1:8).
(3) 'Whether you hear it or not (Ezekiel 2:7)', the third strategy of evangelism is 'listen or not' (Ezekiel 2:3-7). When preaching the gospel, some people accept it and some don't. However, evangelists only have a mission to preach the gospel (Ezekiel 3:17). Even if that person does not accept it right away, the seeds of the gospel I sow will never be in vain (Mark 4:26-28). In Acts 7, Stephen preached the savior of Jesus Christ with all his might, but he was struck by countless stones flying toward him and had to die horribly (Acts 7:57). But there was a young man, Saul. He initially rejected the gospel preached by Stephen, but later he became the great apostle Paul who laid the foundation of the early church.
This is the reason why we should preach the gospel whether we hear it or not. The seeds of the gospel we sow are sure to grow. It sprouts and bears fruit without knowing it. That is the gospel we preach. Even if he does not accept the Gospel on the spot, he should not be discouraged.
The statement of the late President Park Chung-hee's faith is introduced in the book 'Park Chung-hee's Last Confession of Faith (Subtitle: The Secret Story of Park Chung-hee's Evangelism Revealed for the First Time, Book Publications)'. The author is Colonel Roh Byung-cheon (53, photo, elder of the Zaun Church) who is currently teaching military strategy and grandson warfare at the Army University. On the spot, he urged him to believe in Jesus for eternal life, which was more important than the presidency at the president's words to bite the people around him and say whatever he wanted. Although he was newly commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 35th grade, he boldly preached the gospel to the 11th grade, a distant senior and the most powerful president of the country.
Dear all!
The evangelism strategy that the Lord gives is the ‘everyone’ strategy. ‘In season or out of season,’ ‘whether in the temple or at home’, ‘listen or not’, we do our best to spread the gospel regardless of time, place, and object. We must deliver the results and leave the results to God. When we weep and sow the seeds of the gospel, God will make it grow (1 Corinthians 3:6-7). When we obey the Word and open our mouths to preach the gospel, the Holy Spirit who lives within us will be with us and teach us what we need to say (Luke 12:11). It is God who makes it grow, and it is God who will give it something to say. The gospel is the greatest blessing and gift to those who preach it and those who hear it. Therefore, I hope that you sow the seeds of the gospel, 'in season or out of season', 'in the temple or at home', 'listen or not'.