J O H N W. M O O R E

THIS WE MUST ACCOMPLISH

The beautiful church of our Lord is a grand institution. It was established in Jerusalem around A.D. 33 by the Lord Himself. A greater entity does not exist, for it consists of a blood-bought people, known as the church, who are baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). The church has been called out of darkness and translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son (Col. 1:13). It exists as a royal priesthood (I Pet. 2:9) and for a holy purpose. That purpose is summed up in I Peter 2:9, where it is said that God's spiritual house (2:5) must "show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness . . . ." Our task then is to announce the praises of God. But, how is this to be accomplished? What objectives have been given by God to carry out this goal for the church? In general terms, there are three such objectives. The church must evangelize, edify its members, and practice benevolence. Let us examine the first of these God-ordained works for the church of Christ.

Evangelism Defined. Evangelism comes from a Greek verb which has reference to making an announcement or bringing good news (cf. II Tim. 4:5; Eph. 4:11). It shares the same root or stem with the word gospel, where it is used as a noun in several places in the Bible for the message of salvation and truth (e.g. Rom. 1:16; I Cor. 9:16; II Thess. 1:8). Evangelism, then, is the act of making known the good news of salvation. It involves members of the church preaching and teaching those things which lost souls need to hear, believe, and obey. Christ, the Head of the church, practiced evangelism, taught evangelism, and commanded evangelism. Observe the following points:

Evangelism Practiced By Christ. Jesus was the greatest Evangelist to ever walk the earth. From His youth, when He taught the doctors at the temple (Luke 2) until His death, when He converted a thief, Jesus was the model evangelist. He cared for the souls of the rich and the poor. He wanted to save the outcasts (like the woman of Samaria, John 4) and the despised (like the Jewish tax collector, Luke 19). He loved souls of all ages (Mt. 8) and of all social standings (John 3). He constantly looked for opportunities and circumstances of daily life from which He could teach about salvation. For example, He used a drink of water (John 4) a piece of bread (John 6), and the death of a friend (John 11) to open the door to discussions about salvation and eternity. He spent hour upon hour teaching and preaching the good news of the kingdom. He came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10).

Evangelism Taught By Christ. Jesus not only practiced evangelism, but He taught about it as well. Many of His lessons focused upon soul-saving, as in the parables of the sower (Luke 8) and the lost sheep (Luke 15). He emphasized the value of the soul in Matthew 16:26 and taught His disciples to become fishers of men (Luke 5). Upon an occasion of seeing multitudes of souls in various villages and cities, Jesus taught His disciples to pray for laborers which would be sent into a ripe and teeming field of souls. Evangelism permeated our Lord's private and public teaching.

Evangelism Commanded By Christ. The last words Christ uttered from earth before He ascended to the Father concerned the necessity of evangelism. "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" is a commission passed down to every disciple (Mk. 16:15). Jesus commanded that we must "teach all nations" and that "repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all" (Mt. 28:19; Luke 24:47). "Go ye" is an imperative. Disciples of Christ must evangelize.

The imparting of the gospel to others is foundational and essential. If we fail to carry out this work, then we are failing in our service to Christ and to humanity. We are failing humanity, for we possess a cure and answer for their sin problem. We are failing Christ, because the salvation of souls was His objective and His concern. If we are truly disciples of Christ, then we will emulate our Lord's example and, therefore, practice evangelism, and encourage others to evangelize. The church must never lose sight of its work as demanded by its Head. Remember what Jesus said: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." (Mk. 16:15); this we must accomplish.