Good Soil Evangelism & Discipleship Seminar - 15th Sep 2018

 

 

On 4th Feb, 2.15pm 15 brethren & 2 children went to Block 332, Yishun Ring Road. A man (Muruganaun), a Sec student (Camylia) and a lady (Marie) signed up for BCC. 2 Pri boys (Bryce & Wei Cheng) & 1 K2 boy (Wei Bo) came to the saving knowledge of Christ. To continue D2DE at Blk 333A Yishun St 31 (Yishun Riverwalk S761333) on 4th Mar. 

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The “Super Spiritual Pandemic”

Introduction:

Many articles had been written on the positive aspects of Evangelism in order to encourage Christians to preach the gospel. With the same intention, this article on the other hand, describes the negativities of not preaching the gospel and alerts Christians the detriment it brings to self and to the Lord’s ministry. The striking apathy of this end time is alarming as outlined in the following Evangelism Stats, that 80% of all Christians do not consistently witness for Christ. It has become a “Super Spiritual Pandemic” proportion.

Evangelism Stats (Bible.org 2009 USA)

·       “Ninety-five percent of all Christians have never won a soul to Christ. 

·       Eighty percent of all Christians do not consistently witness for Christ. 

·       Less than two percent are involved in the ministry of evangelism. 

·       Seventy-one percent do not give toward the financing of the great Commission.

One particular denomination did a survey on its leadership ministries. The results are as follows:

• 63% of the leadership in this denomination, including deacons and elders, have not led one stranger to Jesus in the last two years through the method of “Go Ye” evangelism.
• 49% of the leadership ministries spend zero time in an average week ministering outside of the church.
• 89% of the leadership ministries have zero time reserved on their list of weekly priorities for going out to evangelize.
• 99% of the leadership ministries believe that every Christian, including leadership, has been commanded to preach the gospel to a lost world.
• 97% believe that if the leadership had a greater conviction and involvement in evangelism, that it would be an example for the church to follow.
• 96% of the leadership believe their churches would have grown faster if they would have been more involved in evangelism.

Because of this, our results in evangelism have been mediocre, at best.”[1]

The Verse in Contention: “1 Cor. 9:16b”

V16 “For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, Woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” 17 “For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me.”

In verses 16 and 17, Paul seems to be in a dilemma. Some one says he is "willingly reluctant, and reluctantly willing."  But in v.16 he added a sentence, "Woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!" The exclamation mark, makes it even more serious and alarming. “Woe” or “Alas” is a primary exclamation of intense grief or misery. The word “preach the gospel” is “to evangelize” in the original Greek.

Very often we just gloss over this verse with no empathy. It seems that this self-pronounced judgment of calamity is personal to Paul himself as he used the first person singular ‘I’, and therefore it has nothing to do with us. 

Paul is an apostle highly used by God. His past history from persecuting Christians to planting churches was a dramatic life changing experience.  At the end he was martyred for the sake of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We see Paul as a great man of a high spiritual standing. He is a most valuable servant of God.  I am just an ordinary Christian.  Of course, if God entrusted him and he does not preach the gospel, he will suffer great loss.  This verse does not directly speak to me. At best, evangelism is the task of pastors, preachers and Church leaders.  They have the gift of utterance, and persuasion, we cannot compare to them. This attitude needs scrutiny.  Our attitude should be to learn from our pastors and church leaders, and work together to evangelize for the glory of God.

Let us now analyze whether v.16b "Woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!" is personal and applicable only to Paul, or whether every Christian should identify with him and the verse is applicable to all believers? If it is the latter, then Paul's conviction should be understood as the same to all believers too.  Brothers and sisters in Christ, this is a very serious proposition. If we do not evangelize, then the consequences could be of regrets for life, let alone finishing well on earth.


I. "Laity" or "Disciple"?

When a person who professed to be a Christian was asked: “how often do you share the gospel with some one?”  He said “no”, because I am just a laity or an ordinary believer (平信徒 ping-xin-tu) I only attend church service.  Dearly beloved, the Bible does not contain the word “laity.” The bible does not distinguish between the clergy and lay believers, nor does it divide Christians into hearers and doers of the Word. If you are a “hearer Christian”, you need to examine if you are already in the faith. According to the Great Commission (GC), in Matthew 28:19-20, if you are not a disciple of Jesus Christ, you may not yet be a Christian.

The term “Laity” or “ordinary believer” is inherited from the Roman Catholicism. It is the lowest rung in the hierarchy of the RC church organization with multi-tier of high pyramid.  From the Pope at the top, down to the district priests, there are as many as 17 tiers, and the lowest or at the bottom 18th class is the “laities”.  In the Christian church, there is no title of ordinary believer. The Bible teaches that Christ is the head of the church and below him are all His disciples. 

In the Old Testament:
Exodus 19:6 “And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.”  The main duties of the priests other than performing ritual sacrifices are: (1) They are the bridge between God and those on earth who have not yet known God.  (2) They must become "holy people" and be set apart. The Israelis were chosen for the purpose of being an example and testimony of their faith and life for all races on the earth, and to introduce God to all nations, bring them to God and be a blessing to them. (Gen. 12:3)

In the New Testament:
1 Peter 2:9 "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.” We are set apart to be holy and to proclaim the excellencies of Him who called us. We are to exercise the priestly fraternity (John 13:35) and the world will see and hear. (Mark 16:15) In short, every believer is a preacher of the gospel.

Not withstanding and recognizing the spiritual gifting to office bearers, (Eph. 4:11) it concludes that verse 9:16b of Paul is very much applicable to all believers. We have no more excuse for not proclaiming the gospel and as Paul said it, “for necessity is laid upon me;” (I have no choice.) (1 Cor. 9:16a)

Evangelism is the basic tenet of Christianity, it is not found in any other faiths. Jesus came into this world to seek and to save lost sinners. (Luke 19:10)  His three and a half years on earth had been busy teaching and saving souls. He willingly sacrificed his life, shed His precious blood on the cross, was buried, and resurrected the third day, and accomplished His mission of human redemption. He lived for 40 days on earth before ascending to heaven, his last instruction to the disciples was to preach the gospel from Jerusalem to the uttermost part of the earth. (Acts 1:8)  The Holy Spirit came at Pentecost. 120 disciples (men and women) were filled with the Holy Spirit to preach the gospel, 3000 residents in Jerusalem including the proselytized Gentiles believed that Jesus was their Savior and Messiah, and were baptized into the Lord’s name and became the Disciples of Jesus Christ.  In no time, the number of members in Jerusalem increased to 5,000 men (Acts 4:4). If women and children are included, the number of the entire church should exceed 10,000. At this time, Saul (later became Paul), who was still persecuting the church, met Jesus on the road to Damascus and he immediately turned around and believed in Him, and later began his mission to bring the gospel to Asia Minor (Western Asia), Europe and the Capital Rome.

During his three missionary journeys, Paul established many churches, wrote multiple Epistles and raised many disciples of Jesus Christ.  Then, due to the rise of missions, the gospel spread throughout Europe, Africa, and in later centuries to America and Asia.  He taught the Thessalonian church about the mystery of the church's rapture. (1 Thess. 4:17) During the great tribulation, God will rise up 144,000, servants of God (Rev. 7:3) to witness and save numberless multitude (Rev. 7:9), and two more prominent witnesses (Rev.11), and finally even an angel was called to preach the everlasting gospel to every nation, kindred, and tongue and people. (Rev. 14:6) The gospel is spread all over the world for a witness unto all nations and then shall the end come (Matt. 24:14). For nearly 2000 years from Jesus’ ascension to His second coming, at every generation, the Lord has given ample time and again for sinners to respond to the call of the gospel through His witnesses (US today) on earth. For nothing is more glorifying to the Lord than souls saved. “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.” (John 15:8)

II. What kind of Woe?  (V.16b)
"Woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!"

Generally there are two kinds of woes:
(I) The woe to non-believers that leads to eternal condemnation. Examples: Jesus 7-woes pronounced to the scribes and Pharisees in Matt. 23. The woes to the inhabitants of Chorazin, and Bethsaida, and to Capernaum (implied), (Matt. 11:21) the woe is a stern warning, unless the people Jesus addressed to repent, they will end in eternal condemnation.

(II) The woe to believers that leads to suffer loss. Examples: 1 Corinthians 9:16; Isaiah 6:5. It is also a warning but to believers, unless they repent and heed to the call, they will suffer loss, although their soul is saved. (Please see (3) below) Jer.10:19; 30:7 are calls to endure.

So what are the grave consequences or judgments of the "woe" mentioned by Paul?

(1) God is not pleased

Ignoring God's command, Mark 16:15 “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature,” and the GC, Matthew 28:19-20 "Therefore go and teach (make disciples of) all nations ...."

Will God be pleased?  Will the Lord be happy if we do not obey the Lord’s command and the GC? The answer is obviously “NO”!

What then that can make heaven rejoice? “That joy shall be in heaven when one sinner repent.” (Luke 15:7, 10, 32)

In the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30, it is often used as synonymous illustration of saving souls. The Lord entrusts us according to the talents given to us and we are to work faithfully for the Lord.  We can also explain this analogy in this way. As long as we are disciples of the Lord, we will all do things for the glory of God. One of the important tasks is to preach the gospel and lead people to Christ.  The number of soul saved varies from person to person. It is for us to preach the gospel and God in His sovereignty to save souls. The Lord is less concerned with the numbers than with the faithfulness and obedience in preaching the gospel. However, do not be like the one that received one talent and buried it in the ground. The Lord’s judgment was fatal “thou wicked and slothful servant.” (25:26) Like Judas, although he was regarded as the servant of the Lord, till death he never repented. He had wasted his precious life and opportunity to be saved. Jesus pronounced “woe” to Judas that leads to eternal condemnation. "Woe unto that man….It had been good for that man if he had not been born." (Matt. 26:24; Mark 14:21; Luke 22:22)

(2) The Sin of Omission

James 4:17 “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth not, to him is sin.”

If we do not evangelize, we commit the sin of omission. It is that simple yet serious. Therefore, we must repent quickly and ask the Lord to give us a heart to love souls and give us the courage to preach the gospel, so as not to disobey God any longer.

James 1:22 "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

James 2:26 "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”

Beloved, be doers of the word, if you are only hearers, it is of little consequence and beware you may not have been saved. This could be your greatest loss of a lifetime.  You say you have faith to believe in the Lord, then where is the work of your faith? 

Charles Spurgeon was once asked, ”Do you believe the heathen who have never heard the gospel are really lost?” Spurgeon replied, “Do you believe the ones who have heard the gospel and never shared it are really saved?”

Hope all of us have a fruitful share in the work of evangelism. Even one of the thieves on the cross, he defended Jesus at his last breath, what a beautiful testimony he gave. (Luke 23:39-40)

(3) Suffer Loss

Jonah didn't obey God and didn't go to Nineveh. He ran away in the opposite direction and went to Tarshish in Spain.  He was swallowed by a big fish in the sea for three days and three nights until he repented.  Like Jonah and Paul, the Lord had through His GCs entrusted us with the mission of evangelism. (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:47-48; John 20:21; and Acts 1:8) We should receive judgment if we don't preach the gospel. Worse the judgment is not immediate and that makes us apathetic.  If you think now that I do not preach the gospel, I am still alive and well and God has not punished me, as long as I can reach heaven, everything will be well.  There is no need to bear witness to the hostile world.  Yes, although you can still go to heaven without preaching the gospel.  It is much better to suffer for preaching it while you are still on earth than to suffer loss before the judgment seat of Christ. As a matter of fact, to evangelize is an honor and a privilege, suffering if any is trivial.

2 Corinthians 5:10 "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”
1 Corinthians 3:15 "If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” It is too risky and dangerous!

The following warning is even more serious:

Ezekiel 33:7-9   "⁷ So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.

⁸ When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

⁹ Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.”

It is obvious that the Lord had made us watchmen to our neighbors that if we do not preach the gospel, God will hold us responsible for the death of those who do not believe.  But if you warn them to repent and they do not, they will die in their sins but you will have saved yourself. To preach the gospel is to keep watch on the unsaved, even your enemies.  What a terrifying end if we do otherwise.

(4) Other Woes

(i) Depriving Answers to Life

If Jesus has all the answers to life, what is the problem that we do not preach the gospel?  It is tantamount to depriving people of the truth and mystery of life, a self-centered attitude.  The Bible says: “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?” (1 John 4:20)  We must learn from apostle Paul of how he cared and loved for his Israeli brethren. Rom. 9:1-3 “ I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,² That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.³ For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:”

(ii) If only I knew

Evangelism is a privilege of co-operation with our Lord to share the gospel with the lost. He promised to be with us until the end of the world. (GC in Matt. 28:20) We declare the gospel and the Holy Spirit convicts and saves sinners. Not obeying these is tantamount to not only disobedience but a rejection to His blessings. Regrets and pain will be our state when our loved ones are thrown into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:14). It will be a time of great regret, if only I knew. The main issue is not that after all their names are not in the book of the lamb, but whether you had warned them of the impending judgment. From the word of John Calvin: “Since we do not know who belongs to the predestined and who does not, it befits us so to feel as to wish that all be saved, and God wishes that the gospel should be proclaimed to all without exception.” In other words, Christians are called to spread the gospel message to any one and to leave the results to God.

(iii) The Greatest Threat

“The threat to Christianity is not atheism, materialism, or communism. The greatest threat to Christianity is Christians who are trying to sneak into heaven incognito without ever having shared their faith.” –James Stuart, Professor of NT at the Uni. of Edinburg. [2] Beware, we could become enemy of our own faith, and unwittingly helping the evil ones, the enemies of God.

(iv) Mistakes of Others

The situation of churches in the western world is rapidly declining, 20% of churches in USA could close in the next 18 months, [3] 30% of churches in Canada will close within the next 10 years,[4] there are 16,000 churches in the UK and 25% of them have less than 20 worshippers on Sundays in the city area and less than 10 in rural areas. The situation is the same in other western European Countries, closed down churches were sold to other faith groups or converted into non-religious organization. Obviously the main reason is there was no succession plan due to no evangelism to begin with. Instead the world had discipled them. Churches in Asia will face the same challenges if we do not pay attention on evangelism.

(III) What Must We Do?

 

First and foremost, every believer must REPENT, whether you had been evangelizing or not, for no amount of evangelism is sufficient to pay our gospel debts. No one had “arrived” or met the target numbers and need not evangelize any longer. Evangelism is a lifetime process until we see the Lord face to face, and the choice is not on us. Too bad “I have no choice.” “Is it?” OR “Thank you Lord, I am given the honor and the privilege to win soul.”

Under the current situation of Covid-19 pandemic and travel restrictions, it is not convenient to go out for visits, travels, or mission trips, but God has given us enough technology to write your testimony at home, and immediately send it to friends who have not yet believe. Posting hundreds of copies in a chat group could be a very effective way of witnessing.  When they are motivated, the message can also be forwarded to more groups.  It can reach thousands of people at one button away. If your group is all over the world, you are simply going to the world to preach the gospel.

Some Christians say that I have just believed in the Lord, my spiritual life is not yet mature, and I don't know much about the Bible. I will evangelize when I have studied and understood more.  This reasoning is flawed. Evangelism is a spiritual discipline, and no spiritual gifts are needed.  If you can praise your child for being so clever and sensible, and are able to talk about his strengths and if you can also praise your parents for how kind, how they love you, and understand your needs, you could preach the gospel and show how God had loved you and saved you from eternal condemnation.

The early first Century disciples all talked about the power of God at different places. When they were persecuted and scattered in Judea, they walked and preached the gospel to Samaria and beyond. (Acts 8:4) Everyone who believed in the Lord was a witness of Jesus Christ, sharing the grace of God with others. There were no laity, they were all Disciples of Christ and they were all priests of reconciliation between God and man.

Conclusion:

To sum up:
The data in the introduction are extremely pessimistic but true. From 100% participation during the inception of the church at Pentecost, to todays’ only 20%, it has become a “Super Spiritual Pandemic” that spread to 80% of believers having no concern about fellow human souls. We still have a long way to go in the church to promote evangelism.  We must start with ourselves.  Encourage one another, pray for non-believing family members, and urgently share the gospel to them.

Hope this article has warned us enough of the terrifying outcome of not preaching the gospel, we should confess our sins and repent, and imitate apostle Paul to do our utmost to preach the gospel, ultimately when we meet the Lord, we will not suffer loss and not be ashamed, even if we are still far away to be called “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matt. 25:23)

 

"ONLY ONE LIFE TWIL SOON BE PAST, ONLY WHAT IS DONE FOR CHRIST WILL LAST"

- Poem by CT Studd, one of the late 19^th to early 20^th Centuries Cambridge-7 missionaries.

Yes, life is very short. Evangelism is done for Christ and it will last forever. Let us earnestly pray that with God’s help, may all of us strive to become soul winners for Christ the Lord and all for the glory of the Triune God.

- End -

[Article submitted by EDD for Oct. 2020 Fellowship update]

 

[1] https://bible.org/illustration/evangelism-statistics

[2] Kenneth Boa, Conformed to His Image: Biblical and Practical Approaches to Spiritual Formation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001,398.

[3] Wburg.org, Barna President on USA churches before and after Covid-19 Pandemic. Survey Mar 17 to Aug 17.

[4] CBC news posted Mar 10, 2019