Title: Evangelize / Matthew 28:16-20
When I stand at the threshold of the winter after passing the autumn, I think about how much fruit I have gathered in the past year. If you do, you will come to realize later that even though you have decided to lead a right life of faith and have started, there are not only one or two things you are ashamed of. Although I have repeatedly made up my mind to make up my mind, it has never been easy to change the image of my weak faith. Why is this happening? How is it possible to live a life of faith capable of pleasing the Lord? The text of the text provides answers to our pitiful situation and questions.
As the Lord ascended to heaven, He gave the Great Commission to His disciples to bear witness to the gospel to the ends of the earth. And this command is the same command for us today. When we lead a life of preaching the gospel like this, it can be said that it becomes a fruitful life and a life of power.
In order to achieve this kind of evangelism life, the first thing you need to do is to properly understand the reason for evangelism.
Because it is the Lord's command. Evangelism is the command of the very one who not only created me, but also redeemed and redeemed me from my sins. When the Lord called His disciples, He said, "I will make them fishers of men." When raising them, He said, "Seek out the sheep that are abandoned in Israel." The Lord's command to us to "preach the gospel to the ends of the earth" is both an authoritative word and a command of love.
It is also because it is the work of building heaven and the most valuable work in life. According to newspaper reports, there are 27 million registered AIDS patients worldwide. It is said that the number of drug addicts, alcoholics, robbers, rapists, heinous criminals and murderers in our country is increasing rapidly every year. In this society, when our 50,000 altars rise and preach the gospel to them, the work of change will take place. The kingdom of heaven is to be expanded. Evangelism is the work of saving the world, and the work of saving those who are about to die. There is nothing in our life more valuable than evangelism to change a cursed life into a blessed life.
Because it is a way to revitalize the church. Only through evangelism can the church be revitalized. The nation can live only when the church is revitalized. When our church is revitalized, this society is bright. And a revived church can do great things for the region and country. Evangelism is the power to change society through the church.
In 1885, Missionaries Appenzeller and Underwood came to our country and preached the gospel. After that, as churches were built and revitalized all over the country, the history of our country was changed, and our people who accepted the gospel were able to become a blessed nation.
Because it is the way to be blessed. The Bible says that "the feet of those who preach the good news" are "beautiful" (Romans 10:15). And he said, “He who turns many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever and ever” (Daniel 12:3). He also said, "The crown of righteousness is reserved for those who preach the gospel" (2 Timothy 4:8). If you look back on the 2,000-year history of Christianity, you can see that the people who prayed and evangelized have continued to develop and change in all fields such as economy, education, politics, society and culture. We Christians can enjoy a life of blessing on earth and rewarded in heaven by evangelism. We must not forget that evangelism is the way to receive blessings.
And because it is God's wish. According to John 6:38-48, we can see that God wants these people to believe in Jesus and be saved. If we love God, we must make God's wishes come true.
It's time to lead the Vancouver meeting. An elder said there was a beautiful lake near his house, so I went there. The words of the elder who guided me, "It's like heaven," came true. Looking at this beautiful scenery, I thought, "I wish I could show this place to the members of Chungnam Jeil Church...". God has made the way to heaven, the way of blessing, and He wants everyone to go that way. First of all, shouldn't we, who have come down this road, spread this good news?
Another thing you need to know to achieve evangelism through your life is about effective evangelism methods. How effective is evangelism?
First, create a chance. In John 4, we see Jesus preaching to a woman in a town called Sychar in Samaria. At that time, it was common for the Israelites to not even have business with the Samaritans. But Jesus went to these Samaritans and preached the gospel. The Lord is creating an opportunity for evangelism by asking the woman who first came to draw water for a glass of water. We also need to create opportunities for evangelism to take place in the field of our lives.
One day, I went to lead a Sunday evening meeting of a nearby church. The story of the deacon who evangelized the second most frequently among those who received the evangelism award that day was very moving. The butler was a tteokbokki seller. It is said that the place where he does business is a crime area, so many students with bad conduct went there. It is said that the deacon treated them with love and testified of the gospel by giving more to those who could not eat as much as they could because of lack of money. Even in the sweltering summer and windy winter, Deacon Lee did not regard suffering as hardship in the joy of preaching the gospel like this. As a result, it is said that he was able to lead many souls to the Lord. How is my evangelism environment? The environment and conditions are sufficient, but the mouth is not closed? You must create opportunities for evangelism.
Next, we must pray. What did Jesus do after he gave the evangelism command? He said, “Do not leave Jerusalem and pray.” The disciples, who had gathered in Mark's upper room to pray and received the Holy Spirit, began to testify of the gospel vigorously. In this way, evangelism begins with prayer. Prayer is power. Evangelism is not something I do with my knowledge or experience. It will come true when we have the Spirit of truth working within us.
Although many Korean shops were damaged in the L.A. riot in the United States, there are the butlers who were not harmed at all. They lived a life of expressing and practicing love by witnessing the gospel to black people. One day, I preached the gospel to a young black man and prayed for him. After that, the young man accepted Jesus and changed into a new life. And when the black riot broke out, the young man brought his friends and guarded the butler's shop.
Evangelism saves neighbors and brings God's blessings and grace. The wise people of the world say that evangelism is a foolish method, but through such foolish methods, God grants salvation and blessings. I pray that they will lead many souls to the Lord and become saints who glorify Him.