Now Is The Time!

How are we to evangelize? This question comes up often and is worth taking some time to dive into. The practice of evangelizing is pretty simple and almost basic to the believer in Christ.

Mark 16:15-16 And he said unto them, 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.

Preach the gospel. A command from Jesus. This Gospel or good news is the only thing that can reconcile a lowly sinner to an all powerful God. The Gospel simply means the glad tidings of salvation through Christ. So as it’s said we preach Christ and him crucified.

The act of preaching can be done by anyone and actually should be done by all Christians as is shown by the command in Mark. To preach simply means to proclaim out loud or publicly announce. It’s simple right? Just speak out loud what Jesus accomplished on the cross! It’s beautiful! But alas we live in a world that is lost and is opposed to the things of God. With scales over their eyes so to speak.

1 Corinthians 2:14  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

So without the Holy Spirit working in the hearers lives the people will not even hear what you are saying. But still we are commanded to preach the gospel to every creature. The following verse is a comforting one to all who take the command seriously to preach the gospel. It’s a weighty task for the Christian but a necessary one.

Mark 8:35  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.

To proclaim or preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ is to tell people the good news that Jesus came to save sinners. This command has attached to it an imperative. There is an urgency because we being human do not know the day or the hour in which Christ will return. So when we plead for the lost to be saved there needs to be a sense of urgency in our call to repentance.

2 Corinthians 6:2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

That’s not only good news but the best news! I’ll end with a quote I think fits well and sums up our task well.

Evangelism is just one beggar telling another where to find bread. ― D.T. Niles