"Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'”
~Matthew 28:16-20~
"Though few and small and weak your bands, strong in your Captain's strength, go to the conquest of all lands; all must be his at length."
~James Montgomery ("Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Gates of Brass")~
"Though few and small and weak your bands, strong in your Captain's strength, go to the conquest of all lands; all must be his at length."
~James Montgomery ("Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Gates of Brass")~
There are a few words that cause shivers to run down the spines of Non-Christians and Christians alike. One of those words is evangelism. Once heard, these five syllables often evoke an array of negative feelings. This word has become, what some might call, "dirty." Because of certain actions and groups attached to it, many have chosen to simply remove it from their vocabulary.
But, what is Christianity without evangelism? How are we to live out the Great Commission, if not by being evangelists? Jesus told us to "make disciples of all nations," how can we do this without preaching, declaring, and proclaiming the Gospel (the very definition of evangelism)?
When we think about what keeps us from evangelizing, one thing comes to mind: fear. We fear that we'll be rejected, that we'll say the wrong thing, and that we won't have all of the answers. We can reduce this fear by examining Christ's words and discerning what we've truly been commissioned to do.
William Barclay points out that, in speaking these last words (Matthew 28:16-20), Jesus did three things: 1)He assured His disciples of His power, 2)He gave them a commission (to spread the Word), and 3)He promised them a presence (the Holy Spirit).
Too often we forget the third thing and try to take the Holy Spirit's work into our own hands. We are called to be Christ's hands and feet, however, this means that we are to care for His people, share His message, and live righteously. This does not mean that we are responsible for converting people; we provide the tools, it's God who does the sculpting and changing.
Last Thursday a small group from UUMC made our way to Juarez to work with Proyecto Abrigo. We were on a mission: we were going to help build a house for a family, and more importantly, we were there to form relationships and serve as a catalyst to relationship with God. We returned Sunday evening with hearts fulfilled, spirits renewed, and understanding increased.
The nine of us showed up ready to work. We were anxious to get our hands dirty doing things like sifting sand, mixing cement and mortar, and laying bricks. We certainly had ample opportunity to do all of these things, but on the first day we were met with something most of us did not expect: waiting. Due to a sand truck's delayed arrival, we spent the first few hours of our work day, not working.
God had a great plan for us. Instead of using this time to dwell on how useless we felt, we seized the opportunity to spark conversations, play some games, and improve our Spanish-speaking skills.
Coming from our monochronic, constantly moving way of life, it would have been simple to get frustrated, but God's Spirit was with us, keeping us on mission--on His mission. Not to say that we didn't try to rush/strain ourselves sometimes, we most certainly did, but in those moments, God would speak to us in the easy-going voice of one of our maestro's, Jesus ("Chuy"), saying "take it easy."
Chuy gave sound advice, not just for mixing concrete, but for living the Great Commission as well. The Kingdom is imminent, but not rushed. Having a proper understanding of our role in it all helps to be able to settle into this concept. We are witness, we are hands, we are not saviors and redeemers.
Often our actions better serve to proclaim Christ than do our words (in Juarez, that's the only way many of us could communicate). Being an evangelist doesn't require us to convert people; we don't have to stand on street corners and hand out tracts; being an evangelist means living our lives in such a way that makes "nonbelievers question their disbelief in God" (Dietrich Bonhoeffer).
So, what do you think? Are you an evangelist? Do people look to you and say, "wow! who is this God that brings such joy?"
But, what is Christianity without evangelism? How are we to live out the Great Commission, if not by being evangelists? Jesus told us to "make disciples of all nations," how can we do this without preaching, declaring, and proclaiming the Gospel (the very definition of evangelism)?
When we think about what keeps us from evangelizing, one thing comes to mind: fear. We fear that we'll be rejected, that we'll say the wrong thing, and that we won't have all of the answers. We can reduce this fear by examining Christ's words and discerning what we've truly been commissioned to do.
William Barclay points out that, in speaking these last words (Matthew 28:16-20), Jesus did three things: 1)He assured His disciples of His power, 2)He gave them a commission (to spread the Word), and 3)He promised them a presence (the Holy Spirit).
Too often we forget the third thing and try to take the Holy Spirit's work into our own hands. We are called to be Christ's hands and feet, however, this means that we are to care for His people, share His message, and live righteously. This does not mean that we are responsible for converting people; we provide the tools, it's God who does the sculpting and changing.
Last Thursday a small group from UUMC made our way to Juarez to work with Proyecto Abrigo. We were on a mission: we were going to help build a house for a family, and more importantly, we were there to form relationships and serve as a catalyst to relationship with God. We returned Sunday evening with hearts fulfilled, spirits renewed, and understanding increased.
The nine of us showed up ready to work. We were anxious to get our hands dirty doing things like sifting sand, mixing cement and mortar, and laying bricks. We certainly had ample opportunity to do all of these things, but on the first day we were met with something most of us did not expect: waiting. Due to a sand truck's delayed arrival, we spent the first few hours of our work day, not working.
God had a great plan for us. Instead of using this time to dwell on how useless we felt, we seized the opportunity to spark conversations, play some games, and improve our Spanish-speaking skills.
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| Break time selfie with three of the sweetest kids in the world. |
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| Pastor Randall practicing for the real thing. |
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| Jesus ("Chuy") showing us how it's done. |
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| A few hard-working men. |
Chuy gave sound advice, not just for mixing concrete, but for living the Great Commission as well. The Kingdom is imminent, but not rushed. Having a proper understanding of our role in it all helps to be able to settle into this concept. We are witness, we are hands, we are not saviors and redeemers.
Often our actions better serve to proclaim Christ than do our words (in Juarez, that's the only way many of us could communicate). Being an evangelist doesn't require us to convert people; we don't have to stand on street corners and hand out tracts; being an evangelist means living our lives in such a way that makes "nonbelievers question their disbelief in God" (Dietrich Bonhoeffer).
So, what do you think? Are you an evangelist? Do people look to you and say, "wow! who is this God that brings such joy?"
