Obeying the Command

Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; 

but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Mark 16:15-16

The call to evangelism; that is to zealously share the gospel, is not an option or a suggestion. It is a command.

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am  with you alway, even unto the end of the world.   Amen.  Matthew 28:19-20 

Given the clear mandate of evangelism in the Word of God, why is it that so many believers hesitate to fulfill this great commission?  There are many reasons; among them, there is:

¨     Lack Of Ability:

Many people do not evangelize because they feel they lack the ability to do so. They may lack formal education or knowledge about the Bible and evangelistic methods. Some people do not really lack ability at all, but have a poor self-image or false humility.

Always remember that God calls weak people to do great things.

Ö     The account of  Gideon illustrates this.  (Judges 6 – 8) When Gideon was called to fulfill a great mission for God, he was in hiding because he was afraid of the enemy. His response was "How can I do this? My clan is the weakest and I am the least in my family."

Ö     Moses gave a similar response when he was called to lead the nation of Israel. He said 

"Who am I? I am not eloquent, neither heretofore nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant; but I am slow of speech and of a slow tongue"   Exodus 3-4

Ö     The prophet Jeremiah claimed he was just a child and totally incapable of being used by God (Jeremiah 1:4-9).

People who feel they lack the ability to evangelize should ask God for the wisdom He has promised:

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.   James 1:5

They should also understand that God uses those without natural ability so that He can receive all the glory

But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;  And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:  That no flesh should glory in his presence.  1 Corinthians 1:27-29

¨     Insignificant Effort:

Many people do nothing because they feel their efforts would be insignificant since the harvest to be reaped is so great. How can one person do anything about the millions lost in heathen darkness? You will remember that the size of Gideon's army was reduced so God would get the glory instead of man (Judges 7).  God delights in taking insignificant efforts and using them for His purposes.  Just one person, winning and training one person each year, can literally raise up thousands of believers in just a short period of time. One light may not pierce the darkness by itself, but many little flames, lit one at a time, eventually produce a great light.

¨     Fear:

People fear they will be rejected by those to whom they witness. If they are not familiar with evangelistic methods, they fear the unknown. They are afraid they will be embarrassed by a situation they cannot handle or a question they cannot answer.   But God tells us in his word:

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.   2 Timothy 1:7

Fear of evangelizing often stems from questions such as these:

>    What will I say? 

>    How shall I say it?

>    How shall I deal with difficulties? 

>    What if I cannot answer a question?

If you cannot answer a question, admit it. Tell the person you'll get back to him with an answer.

>    What if I offend someone?

What usually offends people is not honest talk about God, but the pretense of having all the answers, anger, or quarreling. If you are loving and honest in your approach and people are still offended, then just remember: You are the salt of the earth. In the natural world, when salt is rubbed into a wound it causes an unpleasant reaction at first, but it results in healing. The same is true in the spiritual world.

>    What if I fail?

It is better to try and fail than not to try at all. Success and failure are not the main concerns of evangelism. You are called to faithfulness. Three types of failure are recorded in the parable of the sower (Mark 4:1-20). Later in this same chapter, Mark tells us that it is the soil itself, prepared by the Holy Spirit, that produces the grain, not the sower. This should not be used as an excuse to refrain from calling for commitment, however. We are called to fish for the souls of men and catch them, not just influence them!

¨     Isolation:

Evangelism is often hindered because we do not have contact with unbelievers. If all your friends and contacts are Christians, you will not be able to win the lost. You cannot reach unbelievers if you have no contact with them.  Our experience with God is not limited to our church, it is to be spread abroad.

And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.  Luke 14:23

¨     Insufficiency:

Insufficient time and motivation hinder people from fulfilling the mandate of evangelism. Always remember, however, we find time to do what we want to do and what we feel is urgent. If we do not have time to share the Gospel, then we either do not want to do it or we do not feel it is urgent. A re-evaluation of our priorities is needed.

Loss of motivation usually results from lack of experience. Have you ever noticed how new believers are always excited about sharing their faith? This is because their experience is fresh and exciting. If we are not careful, we will lose this later on if we do not keep a fresh and vital relationship with the Lord.

¨     Spiritual Immaturity:

Paul told believers that they should be able to teach the Gospel to others, but because of spiritual immaturity they were not able to do so

For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.  Hebrews 5:12

Spiritual immaturity is revealed when believers have friction among themselves

And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?   1 Corinthians 3:1-3

When you are busy fighting your brothers and sisters in Christ, you do not have time to evangelize.

Ask yourself which of these describe your own feelings and then evaluate what changes you will make in your life to keep the commandment to evangelize particularly as we are nearing post pandemic status!  All we need do is look around at the hurt, anguish, anger, anxiety, hatred that the past year has brought about and realize that more than every before, people need Jesus in their live!

Be the one to lead a soul to Jesus Christ!

Biblical Studies

09/30/19

04/13/21