Post by Deleted on Jul 11, 2017 10:37:01 GMT -6
We all have some sentiment, but Bible quite clearly, as I see it, reveals that in short - no, evangelization is not for all Christians to do. Though full answer has a "but" added.
Let's take a look.
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For we all stumble in many ways.
That's James 3:1-2.
Evangelization is part preaching part teaching. We have Bible witness that not many should teach. James continues to explain why: "The tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!"
A tongue, although small, makes a lot of influence, like a small fire that causes forest to be set ablaze. If one is teaching wrongly, he or she through short act of teaching makes big negative consequences by misrepresenting God's word. It doesn't matter if it's intentionally or non-intentionally.
That's why James says that not many Christians should teach, and that those who teach will be judged with greater strictness.
Paul confirms that teaching God's word is a gift from God, and that not every Christian has it: "Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching." (Romans 12:6-7)
By the way, we have at least 4 witnesses in the New Testament that preaching and teaching are joint actions (Luke 20:1, Acts 5:42, Acts 15:35, 1 Timothy 5:17). Preaching is proclaiming the good news, teaching is explaining the good news. One can't do without the other. It's like headline and the body of the article.
Next, we have examples of men in the Bible directly named as evangelists, pointing that it's a specific role to do, not universal call for all Christians. We have "evangelist" among the list of specific roles Jesus Christ gives to some Christians in order to build Body of Christ and help it reach maturity (Ephesians 4:11–13). Paul says to Timothy to endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist and discharge all other duties of his ministry (2 Timothy 4:5). In Acts, one of the believers is explicitly named as "Philip the evangelist" (Acts 21:8).
Now, even those who are called by God to spread the Gospel can't do it in any way they want, but how God leads them. God decreeded Paul to share the Gospel to the Gentiles, while Peter was to be an apostle to the Jews: "For God, who was at work in Peter as an apostle to the circumcised, was also at work in me as an apostle to the Gentiles" (Galatians 2:8). Even Jesus first sent apostles to the Israel, telling them: "Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel."
So evangelization is decreeded by God not only for who is to do it, but how is he to do it.
But what is Great commision anyway?
Here's the text: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."
So there are 3 actions in great commision - making disciples (initial preaching and teaching to those who have ears to hear the word of God), baptizing and teaching Christians unto maturity. It's clear that being evangelist is a heavy role to do, and one can't pick and choose what he or she thinks about it. Again, that's why James says that not many Christians should become teachers, and that those who teach will be judged with greater strictness.
I think one of the problems here is in how one understands, or not, predestination.
If one thinks that he or she has free choice on this issue, then evangelization is human-centric thing: it's his or her duty and obligation, it's his or her decision to make, it's his or her work to complete, it's on his or her shoulders that salvation of others is depending on so there is a job to do.
But Bible doesn't say that. Rather it shows that evangelization is a heavy burden and that it's specific role decreeded by God, one that's not for everybody.
There's a "but" though:
This all doesn't mean that one either evangelizes through and through or never. For many, I guess, full cup of some form of evangelization is maybe consciously witnessing couple of times in their entire life, or yearly at best. At the same time, those people are doing some other works for God that eager evangelists can't even imagine to do. That "small amount" of some form of evangelizing is decreeded by God like everything else, lead by Holy Spirit, but it's small amount because God primarily uses those Christians to do other works for Him, works that people who regularly witness or evangelize don't do at all.
Again, everybody has a place and a function and a role within the Body of Christ. Our obedience to our place, and our understanding of our place, I think, has much more weight than our sentiment on what we "should do". If one's role decreeded by God is to be an evangelist in any significant capacity, that reveals itself in it's fruit - many people getting converted to Christianity through his or her preaching and teaching. Let's also remember that there are many "successful" evangelists who are spreading the wrong Gospel and are doing some big damage in the process.
Let's take a look.
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For we all stumble in many ways.
That's James 3:1-2.
Evangelization is part preaching part teaching. We have Bible witness that not many should teach. James continues to explain why: "The tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!"
A tongue, although small, makes a lot of influence, like a small fire that causes forest to be set ablaze. If one is teaching wrongly, he or she through short act of teaching makes big negative consequences by misrepresenting God's word. It doesn't matter if it's intentionally or non-intentionally.
That's why James says that not many Christians should teach, and that those who teach will be judged with greater strictness.
Paul confirms that teaching God's word is a gift from God, and that not every Christian has it: "Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching." (Romans 12:6-7)
By the way, we have at least 4 witnesses in the New Testament that preaching and teaching are joint actions (Luke 20:1, Acts 5:42, Acts 15:35, 1 Timothy 5:17). Preaching is proclaiming the good news, teaching is explaining the good news. One can't do without the other. It's like headline and the body of the article.
Next, we have examples of men in the Bible directly named as evangelists, pointing that it's a specific role to do, not universal call for all Christians. We have "evangelist" among the list of specific roles Jesus Christ gives to some Christians in order to build Body of Christ and help it reach maturity (Ephesians 4:11–13). Paul says to Timothy to endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist and discharge all other duties of his ministry (2 Timothy 4:5). In Acts, one of the believers is explicitly named as "Philip the evangelist" (Acts 21:8).
Now, even those who are called by God to spread the Gospel can't do it in any way they want, but how God leads them. God decreeded Paul to share the Gospel to the Gentiles, while Peter was to be an apostle to the Jews: "For God, who was at work in Peter as an apostle to the circumcised, was also at work in me as an apostle to the Gentiles" (Galatians 2:8). Even Jesus first sent apostles to the Israel, telling them: "Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel."
So evangelization is decreeded by God not only for who is to do it, but how is he to do it.
But what is Great commision anyway?
Here's the text: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."
So there are 3 actions in great commision - making disciples (initial preaching and teaching to those who have ears to hear the word of God), baptizing and teaching Christians unto maturity. It's clear that being evangelist is a heavy role to do, and one can't pick and choose what he or she thinks about it. Again, that's why James says that not many Christians should become teachers, and that those who teach will be judged with greater strictness.
I think one of the problems here is in how one understands, or not, predestination.
If one thinks that he or she has free choice on this issue, then evangelization is human-centric thing: it's his or her duty and obligation, it's his or her decision to make, it's his or her work to complete, it's on his or her shoulders that salvation of others is depending on so there is a job to do.
But Bible doesn't say that. Rather it shows that evangelization is a heavy burden and that it's specific role decreeded by God, one that's not for everybody.
There's a "but" though:
This all doesn't mean that one either evangelizes through and through or never. For many, I guess, full cup of some form of evangelization is maybe consciously witnessing couple of times in their entire life, or yearly at best. At the same time, those people are doing some other works for God that eager evangelists can't even imagine to do. That "small amount" of some form of evangelizing is decreeded by God like everything else, lead by Holy Spirit, but it's small amount because God primarily uses those Christians to do other works for Him, works that people who regularly witness or evangelize don't do at all.
Again, everybody has a place and a function and a role within the Body of Christ. Our obedience to our place, and our understanding of our place, I think, has much more weight than our sentiment on what we "should do". If one's role decreeded by God is to be an evangelist in any significant capacity, that reveals itself in it's fruit - many people getting converted to Christianity through his or her preaching and teaching. Let's also remember that there are many "successful" evangelists who are spreading the wrong Gospel and are doing some big damage in the process.