These are the further marching orders from Matthew to evangelize and disciple, yet so few Christians ever do it; so few churches do it. What an extreme insult we must be to Christ to ignore His call! Remember, it is not our efforts that save; however, it is our responsibility to preach and witness, regardless of results. Christ is the true preacher and witness. This point is so important to understand, because if we do not, we are likely to get depressed and give up.
We are not responsible for results; we are only responsible for obedience. Why do I keep repeating this? Because, too many Christians just do not get it. That is, we are called to tell others about Christ, but we are not responsible for how they respond. If they reject us, they are truly rejecting Christ. We are only called to preach and disciple. We cannot convert anyone; that is the role of the Holy Spirit. He uses our voices and words, but only He can change a person's soul.
We must obey by being His voice and words. If you ever feel discouraged because you pray and witness but see no results, remember Paul and Jesus.
That should keep your fear from binding your feet. Keep it up; keep your feet beautiful. People, especially the Jews, reject God because of misunderstandings about righteousness, as did Israel in Jesus time. They did not understand what God really required. Be aware that we have no excuse not to know Him or to make Him known, or not to evangelize. We will be judged, regardless of our understanding or beliefs.
Remember, your efforts are never a waste of time. It may take years for the message God uses you to convey to "hit" someone so that they respond. Paul appealed to the Jews using Moses as an example, saying that the Patriarch exemplified both obedience and faith, and the law does the same. He kept it up. Real evangelism takes patience, care, consistency, and time.
To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, 'Here am I, here am I. We will face misunderstandings. These make good plots for "sitcoms" on TV, but in real life, it hinders many from knowing the Lord.
Misunderstandings are mostly the fault of the hearer; the one who receives has the responsibility to receive the message. We still must make every effort to make our words and deeds clear and contagious. People have made up their minds what they think of Christians from the wrongs they have observed and have used this to rationalize away their convictions.
So, we need to be aware and take our time; take it slowly with careful care, careful love, and careful consistency, and then you will have built a way to them with the net of your faith. Never rush through with people; they need to feel special and that someone is listening to them.
Just as we are never to just rest our faith in a simple sinner's prayer and nothing else, we are also never to just give it and nothing else. Christ's Grace gets us admission to the "club" of eternity, but what good is the club if we never use it? More than a holy figure or a prophet, Jesus is God's Word, 16 God's "very imprint," 17 the power and wisdom of God. Becoming like us and accepting our human nature, 19 he addresses in himself, in his death and resurrection, the brokenness of our lives.
He suffers through our sin; he feels our pain; he knows the thirst of our death; he accepts the limits of our human life so that he might bring us beyond those limits. Because of this, God greatly exalted him! In Christ, all can come to know that the sin, the coldness, the indifference, the despair, and the doubt of our lives are overcome by God's taking on our human nature and leading us to new life. In him, and him alone, is the promise of resurrection and new life. We evangelize because people must be brought to the salvation that Jesus the Lord offers in and through the Church.
While we acknowledge that the grace of God is mysteriously present in all lives, people all too often resist this grace. They refuse change and repentance. We evangelize so that the salvation of Christ Jesus, which transforms our human lives even now, will bring as many as possible to the promised life of unending happiness in heaven. Read Now » Ask a Question ». Resources Donate. Why should we evangelize? Desire to be obedient.
We should evangelize because God commands it. Love for the lost. Consider how richly God has loved us 1 John ,
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