Re-View: Evangelism: What is it?
Some Bible stuff to chew over. With the visit of Becky Manley Pippert and the Evangelism Training Course just around the corner, it’s good to stop and ask, ‘what’s all the fuss about Evangelism?’
We evangelise because God is King. The gospel begins and ends with God - who He is , what He has done and how we live in relationship to Him. The gospel is not a product we sell but a revelation of truth we proclaim.
Secondly, therefore, evangelism is Biblical:
The God we proclaim has revealed Himself uniquely and definitively in Scripture and in Christ. We teach the God of the Bible and introduce others to Christ as Lord and Saviour through the written and living Word of God.
Thirdly, biblical evangelism is Trinitarian:
The God of biblical revelation is mysteriously one in three, Father, Son and Spirit. We proclaim the Sovereignty of the Father, the sacrifice of the Son and the Sanctifying power of the Spirit. Each is involved in the gospel. Without the Spirit evangelism is simply an exercise in communication, without the Son there is no object of faith to believe, without the Father there is no plan of Salvation.
Fourthly, evangelism is Soteriological:
It's ultimate purpose is the salvation of all types and conditions of humanity. It's scope is cosmic because evangelism proclaims a message of hope for the world. It is the cross and empty tomb which together form the biblical basis for hope. There can be no gospel without the atoning death and resurrection of Christ.
Fifthly, evangelism is Demonstrable as well as Verbal:
We are to show the good news as well as tell it. God’s Kingdom’s values and culture become fleshed out in the lives of those who hear and respond to it. Mission is the outcome of understanding who God is, and Mission is a call to proclaim the greatness of God everywhere.
Peter Baker
