THE great task which Jesus committed to His church was to carry the Gospel message to the uttermost parts of the earth. The heralding of the good news of redeeming love, the preaching, the publishing abroad, the telling in some way or other of the glad tidings of salvation is true evangelism.
THE COMMISSION
The commission as given by the Saviour is very comprehensive. Note the words as they are recorded by the evangelist Matthew : “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost : teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you : and, lo, I am with you alwav, even unto the end of the world.”
This certainly means that the evangel of peace is to go to every part of the world field, to every city, every town, every village, and every country district in the home fields; it means also that the teeming millions of India, China, Africa, and other large fields must be reached by the message of deliverance. The commission involves the whole church; its appeal is not only to the ministers, those who are set apart particularly for the work of evangelism; it is a call also to every member of the church. These words were spoken, not merely for the apostles in their day, but for every believer in the church of God to the end of probationary time.
“Christ was standing only a few steps from the heavenly throne when He gave His commission to His disciples. Including as missionaries all who should believe on His name, He said, ‘Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.’ “—”Southern Watchman,” Sept. 20, 1904.
This lays a solemn responsibility upon all who name the name of Jesus. Both preachers and churchmembers are called to this work. Each is to labour in his sphere, in the place where God has called him to serve; there he is to bear witness, to make known, to tell somehow or other that there is a Saviour from sin.
THE METHODS
Public Evangelism.—The first thing which naturally comes to our minds as we think of evangelism is the public preaching of the Word of God, the proclaiming of the message from some prominent place, so that large numbers may hear the heaven-sent appeal. This, of course, is a very important phase of the question and one which has been blessed of God to the salvation of thousands of souls. It is interesting to observe the apostle Peter as he announces the glad tidings of peace in the temple courts at Jerusalem, and to follow also the one who sat at the feet of Gamaliel as he preached in the synagogues at Antioch, Iconium, Thessalonica, Corinth, and other cities. Behold the great apostle as he makes known the message in the school of Tyrannus and by the river-side at Philippi, as well as on the Mars hill outside the city of Athens. In every place where the opportunity presented itself, they published the good news of redemption to sinners. They carried out the behest of the Lord Jesus, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature,” and “by the foolishness of preaching” many were saved in the kingdom of God.
Wayside Evangelism.—But not only is there the public phase of this work of evangelism. All cannot engage in this. There are other phases of this great work, and “wayside evangelism” is something in which most of the children of God can take part. Think of the story recorded in the book of Acts concerning one earnest and devoted worker in the early church. He was consecrated to the Lord, and was used by Him to bring the knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus to the Ethiopian eunuch as he was returning to his own land. Philip met him on the country road and joined the eunuch in his own chariot. There by the wayside he preached Jesus, and the heart of this Abyssinian dignitary was won for the kingdom of heaven.
“We should do as Christ did. Wherever He was, in the synagogue, by the wayside, in the boat thrust out a little from the land, at the Pharisee’s feast, or the table of the publican, He spoke to men of the things pertaining to the higher life.” . . . So it should be with us. Wherever we are, we should watch for opportunities of speaking to others of the Saviour.” —”Christ’s Object Lessons.” pages 338, 339.
House-to-House Evangelism.— The apostle to the Gentiles did not confine his efforts to reach souls to the public platform; hc visited the people in their homes. When he called together the elders at Ephesus, he declared to them, “I have kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house.’
“House-to-house labourers are needed. The Lord calls for decided efforts to be put forth in places where the people know nothing of the Bible truth. Singing and prayer and Bible readings are needed in the homes of the people. Now, just now, is the time to obey the commission, ‘Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.’ “— “Counsels to Teachers,” page 540.
Social Evangelism.—What a part social intercourse can play in the winning of men and women to Jesus ! Behold the Saviour as He mingles with the fishermen on the lake-side at Galilee and listen to the beautiful lessons of truth He seeks to impart; see Him at the marriage feast in Cana using even this occasion of joy and happiness to direct the attention of the guests to His Father in heaven. Listen to His words as at Jacob’s well He wins the confidence of the woman of Samaria; behold Him in personal touch with Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, and listen to the heart-searching appeal He makes to this leader in Israel. Numerous are the instances recorded of Jesus using His social contact with the people to convey to them the message of comfort and peace.
“By personal labour reach those around you. Become acquainted with them. Preaching will not do the work that needs to be done. Angels of God will attend you to the dwellings of those you visit…. This is the highest missionary work that you can do.”—”Testimonies,” Vol. 9, page 4.
Literature Evangelism.—:”The light of truth is shedding its bright beams upon the world through missionary effort. The press is an instrumentality by which many are reached whom it would he impossible to reach by ministerial effort.”—”Testimonies,” Vol. 5, page 388.
Medical Evangelism.—”Medical missionary work is the pioneer work of the Gospel. In the ministry of the Word and in the medical missionary work the Gospel is to be preached and practised.”— “Ministry of Healing,” page 144.
Educational Evang elism.—What a wonderful opportunity is given to the teachers in our colleges and training institutions ! It is the privilege of these instructors to direct the minds of the youth into channels of thought and study which will prepare them for the task of giving the Advent message to all the world in this generation. In all our effort:, let as keep in mind the great objective, and bend every interest, every department of our work, to the grand aim of winning souls to Christ.
THE RESULTS
The results of the efforts put forth by the apostles in early days were certainly remarkable. As we read the story we are led to cry out to God for a manifestation of the same mighty power that we may see similar results to-day. After the simple preaching of the Gospel on the day of Pentecost, 3,000 souls were won to the Saviour; later we read, “Howbeit many of them which heard the Word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.” Then we read further that “the number of the disciples multiplied greatly; . . . and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.” And so the good work went on. Thousands were brought to Jesus by the faithful preaching of these messengers sent from God.
But not only do we read of the results of the work of the apostles; the churchmembers were also blessed in their ministry. The eighth chapter of Acts records the story of the believers at Jerusalem, and how they went forth “preaching the Word.” Much of this was done by the wayside and in visiting the people in their own homes. The blessing of the Lord attended the humble efforts of His servants, for we read in the eleventh chapter that ” the hand of the Lord was with them : and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord.” The previous verses show that this remarkable blessing followed the work of those who were scattered abroad “upon the persecution which arose about Stephen.”
God set His signal blessing upon the faithful witness of these churchmembers from Jerusalem, and what He did for them He will do for us to-day. Let us pray for our ministers and Bible-workers, and pray that God may release the mighty power of the Holy Spirit that we may see larger numbers of souls won to the truth of God. May God bless also our churchmembers, that they, too, may be winners of souls for the Master’s kingdom.
