Rise Up, and Evangelize!

What is the difference between evangelism and discipleship? I have often wondered. A disciple is a student of a master teacher. As in a Christian, we are students of Jesus Christ, learning His way, and His will for our lives. Discipleship then is taking a new believer and teaching them to become students themselves. It is showing the new believer how to study and discern the Word of God, so that his mustard seed of belief turns into hope, and then his hope turns into faith. Romans 10:17 "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." 

Evangelism is totally different. Evangelism is reaching out to those who have never heard of Jesus Christ, and telling them about the good news. It is going out into the hostile environment that our world has become, and leading the unbelievers to Jesus Christ. We must evangelize before we make disciples. Going into the world, and making disciples of all nations is the second step. We must first tell the world about Jesus, and the sacrifice that was made on the cross for everyone. 

Here is a little story... if you go to someone and tell them that Jesus Christ has paid their ticket for running a red light, chances are they will not truly understand the what or why, if they don't know that they ever had the ticket in the first place. In fact, you may offend them by insinuating that they broke the law. You may be shut out before you ever get to tell them what it means to be forgiven of their sins. But, if you first explain to someone that the City had a traffic camera, and that it caught them, without a doubt, running a red light, you have shown them to be guilty, a sinner, because you have presented them with the facts. Now, when you explain that someone has graciously paid for their transgression, their ticket, they become grateful and want to know more about who would do such a thing for them. 

When presented with the fact that all men are sinners, Romans 3:22-25. "the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins", and by presenting them with the facts of their sins, "Thou shalt not steal," "Thou shalt not bear false witness (lying)" "Thou shalt not covet" "Thou shalt not commit adultry", etc, and by their own admission that they have not upheld these commandments, even just violating one, when you explain that Jesus Christ died and shed His blood to not only cover those sins, but to completely blot them out, never to remember them again, they can then begin to graciously accept the free gift of salvation. 

Then, and only then, can we "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations," Matthew 28:19. How do we do that? The next verse tells us, "teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." Rise up, as Jeff Hinshaw told us yesterday in his sermon. Rise up, and overcome the paralysis of the Spirit that so many of us have fallen into . 

Rise Up, and evangelize!

A Lifelong Task

“But just how, in the circumstances, does a fellow ‘take it easy?’ That’s what I want to know.”

I was never known for my patients. How many times have I asked, “why should I wait, when I can have it all right now?” Indeed, when I was 1^st presented with his 12 steps of Celebrate Recovery, I was like the proverbial “kid in the candy store.” I couldn’t wait to get to Step 12; it was surely just a few months work, or so I thought! I realize now that living the 12 steps of Celebrate Recovery is a lifelong undertaking.

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Glorious Victory

Bible reading: Zechariah 9:9 – 12

Step 3: We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.” (Romans 12:1)

Principle 3: Consciously choose to commit all of my life and will to Christ care and control.

“Happy are the meek.” (Matthew 5:8)

Our lives may be a battlefield. We may have been taken captive in the ongoing war between good and evil. When we turn our lives over to God, will He rescue us and keep us safe?

500 years before the birth of Jesus, the prophet Zechariah wrote these words: "Rejoice greatly, O my people! Shout with joy! For look – your King is coming! He is the Righteous One, the Victor! Yet He is lowly, riding on a donkey’s colt! [This prophecy was fulfilled by the coming of Jesus (see Matthew 21:4 – 11).] I will disarm all peoples of the earth, including my people in Israel and He shall bring peace among the nations. His realm shall stretch from sea to sea, from the river to the ends of the earth. I have delivered you from death in a waterless pit because of the covenant I made with you, sealed with blood. Come to the place of safety, all you prisoners, for there is yet help! I promise right now, I will repay you two mercies for each of your woes!" (Zechariah 9:9 – 12).

Jesus fulfilled part of these prophecies when he came the 1^st time. He did deliver us from death by shedding His own blood to seal our pardon. When He comes again, as He promised, He will bring peace on earth. For now, we can take cover in Jesus as our refuge. When the war is over and Jesus is crowned King of Kings, He will repay all those who are His, to mercies for every woe suffered in the war! In the battles of life we can turn our lives over to God and have a strong, sure hope.

When we give ourselves to God, He always gives back more than we gave.

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