What is Evangelism? The root of the word evangelism comes from the Greek that means “good news” or “gospel.” Therefore, it begs the question, then “What is the Gospel?” What is so good about this news? First Corinthians 15:3-6 summarizes the essential points of the divine message—(1) Christ died for our sins and was buried, (2) that he arose again on the third day, (3) and was witnessed to be alive by many individuals.
We may rightly choose to include other essential parts of the Christian story; such as the virgin birth, His ascension, and the imminent return of Christ. Regardless of how comprehensive we are in the message, the essential truth is Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection as the blessed hope of salvation for all humanity. To “preach Jesus” is to proclaim these truths for the purpose of leading others to salvation.
Paul explains in Romans 10:9, if you confess (or profess) that Jesus is Lord (that He is resurrected, lives, and reigns) and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead (as a sign that he was the true Messiah), you will be saved. For Paul and many other proclaimers, this gospel is a message of genuine hope for salvation and liberation from evil, sin, and hell. It is a message that must be proclaimed without hindrance as a commission from Christ himself to every believer.
I am confident of the message and its ability to lead people to salvation. I also believe there is no other denomination on the planet which can more accurately recall, retell, and resound the gospel message as those in our congregations. While the message is absolute truth for all humanity, we preach the gospel as a message to be fulfilled after death. We accept the gospel to escape hell and gain heaven. While this is a fact, believers miss the earthly power of the gospel.
When we consider the life, message, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we gain much more than just an insurance policy for eternal life. The message is rebellious, earthy, bloody, free, unchained, and aggressive. Jesus leads his followers to turn the world upside down, and to unleash a movement of justice for the poor, widowed, and orphaned. The message calls us to actions of liberation, to take on the sources of evil that bind people in slavery, abuse, ridicule, and hatred. To preach Jesus is to lead people to lifestyles of goodness, harmony, mercy, and generosity. The good news is that in Jesus Christ, evil, addiction, destruction, and oppression cease—to make earth just as it is in heaven.
The Kingdom of God (the Reign of God) is a kingdom to come but also close at hand. With the spread of the Gospel, the Church of Jesus Christ is called to recreate the majesty of heaven in this life. The Greek word we translate as “church” means to be the “called out ones.” We must shine our lights into darkness, so others can see how to come out of sinful darkness into holy light.
The Gospel calls us to get down off our donkeys and to get down into the ditch with the bloody, beaten, and half dead to help them toward (spiritual) healing. To minister to one another just as if we were ministering to Jesus himself—sick, homeless, hungry, thirsty, and in prison. As the Gospel calls you to serve the least of those in the world, you have served Christ himself.
What the Church needs today is more than just to give our hearts to Jesus. The movement of the Body of Christ is to give Jesus your hands to do the work of service in the world. Give your feet to Jesus to take you to the places He wants you to go. Give your eyes to Jesus, so you can see as Christ sees and end the suffering in the world. Give your guts to Jesus so that you will face evil with courage and confidence in the power of the Spirit. Give your spine to Jesus, so you will stand tall in the world, and not burdened by sin, evil, and oppression. Give your ears to Jesus, so you will hear the voice of the Shepherd and be led to quiet streams and green pastures.
