15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Mark 16:15-18 (NKJV)
Jesus exhorted the disciples to go out into the world and proclaim the gospel. The word “evangelist” is translated as “gospel”, “good news” and “good tidings.” Evangelism is the sharing of the good news of Jesus Christ. It tells of the remedy God provided for sin through Christ and includes an invitation to repent and be reconciled to Him. Christ is the answer to the issues of our life.
Evangelism is not a programme. God will give us different strategies to communicate His love to others. Jesus came to this earth out of His love for us and because of this, we have the opportunity to be reconciled to Him and to share the gospel to others. Since evangelism is a command, we have to do it.
People do not evangelize because they are afraid to tell others about Jesus and do not know what to say. Share the gospel and leave the rest to the Holy Spirit. People also do not evangelize because they say that they do not have the time. However, we come into contact with people every day and we can share the gospel with them. Evangelism is not to be done by a select few as some may think. Sometimes people do not have a care or a concern for the lost, so they do not evangelize.
If people reject you for telling them about Jesus, tell someone else. It is our obligation, privilege and right to do so. Only two percent of the church share the gospel and this means that 98 percent are living in disobedience. We should evangelize not only because God tells us to, but because it is at the heart of who we are. Our lives should reflect who we are in Christ.
Jesus told the disciples to go into all the world and tell people about Him and to make them disciples, committed followers of Him in order to win others to Him (Matthew 28:19-20). This is because salvation can only come through Christ. We have the Truth, but sometimes we allow those who do not have the Truth to go out and win others to their cause. Apostle Paul made it clear that he was not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The gospel is not advice. It is actually the power of God to save others. The power within the gospel brought us salvation so we need to share it with others. If we do not share it, how will the sinner hear? How will the people hear if they are not told (Romans 10:14)? We have been sent by Jesus, but if we do not carry His message that can bring change, others will not know.
We should also share the gospel because God has won us to Him through Christ. He has become our friend. In spiritual terms, He has reconciled us to Him. We fail God when we do not point the way to others. If we do not share the gospel, the sinners’ blood will be on our hands. We do not want to stand before God at the end with the blood of others on our hands because we did not share Christ. It is with the Holy Spirit’s help that we win others to Christ. Maybe some of us do not share the gospel because we do not have God’s power living in us.
When Paul was stoned almost to death for preaching the gospel, he got right back up and went back into the city and continued to preach. There is no guarantee that we will not be heckled for sharing the gospel, but when we do, that Word goes out with power and will be effective. At the end of the day, it is not about us, but about what God’s Word can do.
