Talking about Evangelism is talking about THE GREAT COMMISSION AND THE URGENCY OF FULFILLING IT.
Jesus Christ was at the concluding part of His mission here on earth when the disciples asked Him these very important questions; “when shall these things be, and what shall be the signs of thy coming, and of the end of time?” Matthew 24:3. The Lord Jesus Christ gave a prompt and appropriate response and the signs of the end of the age which includes:
While giving the answer, the Master did not fail to clearly state the most urgent responsibility which the church should engage in, is preaching the gospel. This most urgent task is stated in verse fourteen of Mathew Chapter 24, which states that, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations and then shall the end come.”
Let me explain this topic the more as follows:
The great commission is simply “go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to all creatures.” The great commission tells us specifically to preach repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. As the hearers repent and believe in the Lord with evidences of genuine conversion and transformation of life, they are to be baptized in water. The next step is their integration into the church where they are taught the doctrines of Christ and not the traditions of men.
As a matter of importance, the teachings of Christ Jesus emphasized repentance, justification, restitution, consecration, sanctification, Holy Ghost baptism and other Biblical doctrines. The unmistakable command of Jesus is “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” The command is an urgent task to every believer and every local church. Hence, the regular and central programme of the church should focus on evangelizing the world.
In the gospel according to Saint Luke 19:10, Jesus said “for the Son of man is come to seek and save the lost.” Christ did not allow anything to distract Him from fulfilling that purpose for which He came. His ultimate charge to all believers today is “Occupy till I come.” Luke 19:13.
In other for the believer to effectively occupy in the preaching of the gospel, the need to be empowered by being baptized in the Holy Ghost cannot be overemphasized. At genuine conversion, the believer receives a measure of the Spirit of God. The same Spirit that bears witness that the believer is born again, is the same Spirit that helps the new convert to thirst for inward cleansing (Sanctification) until the adamic nature is removed and the believer presses forward for the baptism of the Holy Ghost.
Sanctification makes the believer effortlessly preach the gospel while the Holy Ghost energizes him/her with the fire that makes him/her more effective, fearless and bold in occupying for the Lord in His vineyard. The Lord God may not hold the church as a body responsible for not fulfilling the great commission, but shall hold individual believers responsible for failing to fulfill the great commission.
It is not enough to speak in an unknown tongue and still be passive in evangelism. One important reason why you were endued with the Holy Ghost is to make you effective in evangelism.
The joy of seeing one soul saved and transformed gave Jesus Christ so much satisfaction that He looked away from His physical needs and said “my meat is to do the will of Him that sent me and to finish His work.” (John 4:34)
This was a deliberate commitment to ensuring that He fulfilled His purpose on earth. All through His life and ministry, Jesus demonstrated this commitment, though He was hungry, He did not hesitate to engage in a discussion that led to the salvation of souls. The early church followed the footstep of Jesus as it made evangelism the centre of its activities.
According to Acts 8:4, the Bible said, “Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the gospel…”. Philip was deliberate about his commitment to preaching the gospel and the result was that he practically turned a whole city upside down. Paul the Apostle was also very deliberate in demonstrating commitment to fulfilling the great commission. In 1 Corinthians’ 9:19-22, he said, “….I became all things to all men that I might win the lost…..”
Similarly, the disciples of Jesus demonstrated deliberate commitment to the preaching of the gospel even to the detriment of their lives. In Acts 4:19, after they have been locked up, released, beaten and warned never to preach in the name of Jesus, they resolved that they would rather obey the voice of God than that of men.
Finally, it is important to note that fulfilling the great commission goes far beyond the preaching of the gospel (evangelism). It includes integrating the converted souls into the body of Christ through water baptism and teaching them to observe all things. It is worthy to also note that the great commission may never be effectively fulfilled if the church fails in its responsibility. The church should put the needed structures in place in order to ensure that the genuinely converted souls are integrated in fellowship and given the required platforms to receive the whole teaching of the doctrine of Christ Jesus and serve Him.