Matthew 28
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
How could the eleven "make disciples of all nations" ?
And what is the extent on Jesus' promise at the end of verse 20 ... "And lo, I am with you always, ... even until the end of the world." ?
Now, I, for one, am of the opinion ... that the charge of evangelism (i.e. spreading the gospel) ... is upon the Church, rather than being specifically upon christians. Which is why God the Holy Spirit has placed Evangelists within the Church, perhaps beginning with Paul, the great evangelist.
It occurs to me, from my scriptural study, is that it is Paul, alone, of the Apostles ... which takes the particular task of evangelism.
Noone evangelized like Paul, ... who was preaching Christ in the synagogues soon after his conversion. Because of this, there were threats upon Paul's life, ... so much so, that the other disciples had to smuggle him out of town to save his life.
Paul's zeal might be compared with those christians who have been at the forefront of missionary efforts throughout the centuries since the the great commission, ... and who lives have often been forfeit in the efforts.
The christian who is not called specifically to evangelism, likely, has more of the calling to share his/her faith as appropriate ... as did Phillip when he was called to evangelize the Ethiopian eunuch. These are, by nature, particularly personal circumstances, oftentimes one-on-one, where the recipient of the gospel message has been prepared, in some way, to receive that message.
Paul's message to the more typical non-evangelistic christian is to "work quietly" within your respective societies, while holding forth to your calling and identification as a Christ follower.
To balance that, however, Peter calls upon all christians to "always be prepared to give an answer" ... for those who might seek understanding of the reasoning for our belief. According to Christ, we are to be a "light upon a hill", though not necessarily a searchlight, (which peers into the hearts and living of every human creature), ... and salt in our societies. We should be peculiar enough ... to warrant notice by those around us, ... who might be drawn into the faith.
And, we should be like Phillip, ... open to the leading of the Spirit, to witness to that special soul ... to whom the Lord is calling.
Though individual christians are, often, faulted for their lack of participation in the execution of the Church's evangelistic mission, ... I think that, by and large, the mission has been successful, ... to making Christ known worldwide ... and of giving rise to a significant people who visibly call themselves by His name.
I don't so much think that we are called, individually, to knock upon every door around us like the Jehovah's Witnesses, ... but I do believe that we are called to be known as Christ-followers within our respective circles (working, playing, shopping, voting, etc.) ... and to be responsive to those occasions for which our personal witness is appropriate.
I still recall how casually, and yet genuinely, my mother, who was a classic introvert, ... often engaged her periodic grocery shoulder-mates ... with the invitation to seek Christ. Her quiet engagement was personal, and heart-felt, and typically, ... warmly received ...
Last edited:
Upvote
0
