WEEK TWO:
RECOVERING GOSPEL URGENCY
In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul tells us that in Christ we are new creations and we have been reconciled to God so that we can be Christ’s ambassadors on the earth. Evangelism is often misunderstood and neglected in the modern church, but the reality is we must embrace this practice to fully live into the identity Jesus won for us on the cross.
One of the challenges Christians faced while spreading the good news of Jesus across the Roman Empire was the presence of false gospels. Other individuals were also making the ‘gospel’ claims, but these lacked the truth.
These false teachings either lacked theological integrity, were manipulative or abusive, or were outright falsehoods. Consequently, church leaders had to guide their congregations in discerning the true gospel from the false ones.
Consider Paul's letter to the Galatians:
"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel — which is really no gospel at all. Evidently, some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God's curse." – Galatians 1:6-8
Paul uses the term "bewitched" to describe their seduction away from the grace of Jesus towards a false gospel.
So, what constitutes a false gospel in our current context, and how can we identify it in our churches today?
The Evangelical Gospel:
Emphasizes individual salvation through belief in Jesus, promising eternal life but criticized for oversimplifying the gospel and neglecting the call to discipleship and transformation in the present life.
The Prosperity Gospel:
Advocates that faith and giving lead to wealth and health as signs of God's favor, critiqued for materialism and distorting the gospel's essence away from Jesus' teachings on spiritual wealth.
The Social Gospel:
Focuses on social justice and political activism as expressions of God's kingdom, praised for addressing systemic injustices but critiqued for potentially reducing the gospel to a political ideology and overlooking personal spiritual transformation.
These are ultimately shallow representations of the gospel. They emphasise a singular aspect of the message of Jesus yet neglects the call of discipleship, leaves individuals unprepared for life's hardships, and leads to spiritual malformation.
In contrast, we want to center our community on a holistic definition of the gospel:
The gospel is the good news that God our Father, the Creator, out of His great love for us, has come to rescue us from sin, Satan, death and hell, and to renew all things, in and through the work of Jesus Christ on our behalf, to establish His kingdom, through His people, in the power of the Holy Spirit. This is for God’s great glory, and our profound joy.
Though we recognise it as profoundly good news, many of us still have common objections to evangelism.
“It’s not for me.”
This objection overlooks the holistic nature of discipleship that Jesus commands, which includes sharing one's faith. It ignores Jesus' explicit call to make disciples, giving way to cherry-picking comfortable teachings while disregarding challenging ones like evangelism, despite its being a core aspect of following Christ.
"To each his/her own."
The cultural relativism of "to each his own" clashes with the Christian imperative to share the gospel. This perspective, while seemingly tolerant, contradicts the urgency and compassion behind Jesus' warnings hell.
"Our laws don’t permit it."
In Singapore, while the constitution allows for the free practice and sharing of one's faith, it sets boundaries to maintain religious harmony and public order. Read more at https://thirst.sg/practising-professing-faith-know-your-rights/
“Evangelism to anyone and everyone is clearly permitted by the Constitution. What the laws seek to prevent is “insensitive, aggressive religious proselytisation”. It is perfectly permissible to point out differences between one’s religion and another’s.'” - Ronald JJ Wong
In Greek, the word for "witness" is "martus," from which we derive the word "martyr."
This connection is not coincidental. In the first centuries, being a witness and being a martyr were virtually synonymous. Today, while we thankfully do not face the threat of literal death for our faith, bearing witness to the gospel in our city and time involves a different kind of death.
It may mean the death of your reputation as cool, sophisticated, or even as a good person in the eyes of others. It could lead to a death of how people morally view you or even to the end of certain relationships. There are those who may choose to distance themselves from you once they discover you are a Christian, potentially sacrificing your career ambitions.
Despite the considerable cost, the Bible and numerous saints who have preceded us speak of a profound intimacy with God that comes from being willing to suffer for His sake. "I want to know Christ — yes, to know the power of His resurrection and to share in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death" (Philippians 3:10).
In the parable of the lost sheep in Luke 15, the focus isn't on the sheep's wanderings but rather on the shepherd's relentless pursuit to retrieve what was lost. Scripture tells us that Heaven rejoices at the recovery of the lost because it is a priority of Jesus' heart.
Far be it from us to be in a church where there is noise on earth but silence in heaven over our community.
Discussion Questions:
What has your personal experience with evangelism been? Whether as someone preaching the gospel or as someone receiving it?
Considering the findings of a recent Barna report indicating that over 90% of millennials feel being a Christian witness yet nearly half believe it is wrong to evangelize? What factors might contribute to this apparent contradiction?
Jesus demonstrated that evangelism could be positive and transformative, contrasting with the Pharisees' approach, which Jesus criticised for being hypocritical and harmful. What are some bad ways of evangelism?
In our current context, what are some examples of false gospels that might be seducing believers away from the true essence of the Gospel of Christ?
Examine the common objections to evangelism mentioned (e.g., "It’s not for me," "To each his/her own," "Our laws don’t permit it"). How can Christians navigate these objections while faithfully fulfilling the Great Commission?
The question isn't so much whether evangelism is for you but discovering our style of evangelism. What might your style be? (Testimonial Style, Invitational Style, Confrontational Style, Intellectual Style, Relational Style, or Supernatural Style)