Matthew 28 :19-20
« And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given
to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and
lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. »
Romans 1 :
16 « For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of
God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the
Greek.»
Evangelization is a mission that every Christian is called
to fulfill. It is the first and most important call of every Christian.
What does it
mean to evangelize? »
Evangelizing is the act of spreading the
gospel (Good News) of Christ. This good news is the assurance of eternal
salvation through the forgiveness of sins that we obtain in Jesus Christ. The
new convert repents of his sins, recognizes Christ as his Savior and Lord (the
One through whom his sins are forgiven) and is baptized, an act of faith that
symbolizes his new birth in Christ.
Acts 2 : 38 « Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”. »
Why is it important to
evangelize (spread the good news)
Evangelization
is the primary mission entrusted to all of us Christians throughout the world,
who have believed in the promise of eternal life and form the Church of Christ.
We must make the good news known throughout the world, so that all who hear and
believe may receive salvation. (Matthew 28 : 19-20 ; Acts 1 :
8 ; Acts 28 : 28 ; 1 Corinthians
1 :17-18).
In this sense,
all of us who have believed in redemption in Christ must share this word of
redemption since this act constitutes :
·
an act of faith: It confirms our full assurance
in this word and in all the promises attached to it. We are not afraid to
proclaim it to the whole world. (Matthew 5:15, Mark 4:21, Luke 8:16)
·
a proof of our love for and obedience to God. for
in fulfilling the mission Jesus entrusted to his Church, we seek to please and
obey God (Matthew 25:14-30, Luke 19-12-27, Hebrews 6:10)
·
a proof of our love for others by sharing the
good news of salvation with them. We do this so that they too may obtain the
promises of Jesus (Luke 4:18 and Ephesians 2:19).
How to evangelize
(make the good news known)
Evangelizing is
not just about preaching in the streets or going door-to-door. We must put all
the talents and gifts we have received from the Holy Spirit at the service of
this mission. Everything we receive from God and the manifestation of His
almighty power in our lives is to serve as a testimony to those who are still
unbelieving and to bring them back to Him.
Romans 15:
19 « in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so
that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the
gospel of Christ.»
Romans 1 :
5 « Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to
the faith among all nations for His name »
Matthew 10 :1,
7-8 « And when He had called His twelve disciples to
Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all
kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease… And as you go, preach,
saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise
the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. »
We must always
seek to please God in the way and purpose for which we use what He gives us,
what He sows in our lives, and what we have received by His grace (1
Corinthians 4:7 and James 1:17). We must
make fruitful what we have received, such as the gift of prophecy, the gift of
healing, artistic talents, intelligence, etc. (Philippians 1:9-10, 2
Corinthians 8:7, 2 Peter 1: 5-6 and 2 Peter 3:18). Use them for the good of
others out of love for them (1 Peter 4:10 and 1 Corinthians 12:7), for the
edification of his Church (Ephesians 4:11-12) and for the salvation of souls
(Romans 1:5 and Romans 15:18-19). As Christians, we must always assess our
contribution to the advancement of the Church. We must ask ourselves: What have
I contributed to God's work? (1
Corinthians 15:10, Jeremiah 48:10 and 1 Timothy 3:13).
We must also
preach by example. Our lives must reflect what we preach. We must be models for
others.
Finally, the
most important thing is to always ask the Holy Spirit to assist us in our work
of evangelization. The Holy Spirit is the only one who can convince the world
of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He is the only one who can give us the
power we need to carry out our mission. (Jhon 16: 7-15)
Let's
all work for the advancement of the Kingdom of God!!!!