Peter Sammons explores aspects of outreach evangelism
LICENSED BY JESUS
What is evangelism?
At its most basic, evangelism is telling people the good news of Jesus, or in the way that Jesus himself focused, telling the good news of the Kingdom. If you’re unsure at this point then these basic notes may fill-in some gaps: https://www.exploregod.com/articles/what-is-evangelism-5-ways-to-define-it
At a slightly more technical level we might say that evangelism is actively bringing to people who do not know Jesus the “gospel”. Some key thoughts on this, here: https://christian-publications-int.com/images/PDF/BibleStudent/08_GOSPEL.pdf
Licensed
In a very real sense, all the Bible, and certainly all the New Testament, is focused on the gospel. Jesus’ ‘great commission’ to His disciples (and that’s all of us, if we are faithful followers of Jesus) remains today as it was when He uttered these words, to: “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28: 19-20).
We might think of this task in this way:
The call Matt 28: 16-20
The model Luke 10: 5-12, 17-20
The example Acts 13: 1-3, 13-15, 32-41
The authority 2 Tim 3: 14 … 4: 2
So, we are ‘authorized’ – and indeed ‘licensed’ – by Jesus to undertake this task. If anyone asks you by whose authority you are speaking about Jesus, we can say – without blushing – that it is by Jesus’ authority! We note that Jesus was Himself challenged in this way, by ‘religious’ people. See Mark 11: 27-33, but especially verse 28. If Jesus faced opposition, we must ‘take it as read’ that we too will be challenged. In a strange way, perhaps we should see this as a validation of the task we have been given.
Please see Part 3.
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