Commissioned to the Evangelization of the World

"Quench not the Spirit"

Since the first manifestations of God's will to redeem fallen mankind, this signifies a "seed" that will bring the work to an end (Gen. 3:15). That "seed of the woman", Jesus Christ, was destined to become the "seed of Abraham", through whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed (Gal. 3:29; Gen. 12:3). When the Lord said to Israel, recently delivered from Egyptian captivity, "All the earth is mine", he related it to a mission entrusted to his people, "They will be a kingdom of priests to me" (Exod. 19:5,6). Without a doubt, he called them out of captivity to be sent on a mission. Thus it has been since the beginning of the biblical history of redemption: the redeemed are assigned to evangelize the world. The author of this study now leads one of the greatest churches that experiences this truth: 1) Receive God's grace and, then 2) proclaim God's truth; 1) Be filled with the Spirit, and immediately, 2) Take the message to the uttermost parts of the earth.

1. God's promise to his Messiah (Psa. 2:8)
God invites his son to ask for the nations as his inheritance, and thus, we ask in his name and receive it as an estate.

This great messianic psalm reveals GOD's heart toward his own Son. "Ask me, and I will give you the nations for an inheritance". This conversation contains a surprising declaration: that all the nations of the world will be under the government of the Son. However, it's necessary to ask him for it ("ask me"). In John 17, through his priestly prayer, Jesus does precisely this (John 17:1-28). But, his petition includes our response. We must unite (John 17:21) and receive, in GOD's name, the "manifest" authority that Jesus as the Messiah intercessor of Psalm 2, has conferred to us, his Church. We pray in his name and for this glory we triumph by receiving the inheritance of the nations, as GOD promised.

2. The obligation to our generation (Prov. 24:11,12)
We are responsible before our generation, and before God for the work of proclaiming the gospel.

There are only two groups of people in the world; those who have heart the gospel and those who haven't. If those who have heard (and believed) it refuse to proclaim it, GOD will repay each one "according to his works". We are responsible for our generation. Although people sometimes debate about the lot of those who die without hearing the gospel, this passage reveals the importance of reaching those who are still living. A practical instruction, taken from Acts 13:36, can teach us: David served his generation by divine will. We can't return to the past generation, nor reach the following, but we can serve this one. The only generation for which GOD holds us responsible is ours.

3. We broadcast the good news without fear (Is. 40:8-11)
Answering the call to broadcast the "good news", we are wise if we obey without fear, in the assurity that God will confirm his Word.

The prophet proclaims the eternal remembrance, "...the Word of GOD will remain forever". He immediately anticipates the spreading of this word. The world needs a solid foundation upon which to build life, as it surely needs an assured salvation to redeem it. "Zion", the people of GOD, has this word and the privilege of proclaiming the "good news", the joyful, pleasant and agreeable notices of the present life and an eternal hope. Therefore, 1) "lift up your voice loudly" (v.9). The message is proclaiming the good news, since nothing will occur until that declaration has been made; 2) "don't fear" (v.9), because GOD will manifest himself as he says, when he proclaims, "Behold here your GOD!" (v.9). 3) Our message of someone who has strength to govern ("his arm will rule"), and a reward that he offers ("comes with him", v.10), will be confirmed. We evidence wisdom by responding, without any fear, to the calling to divulge "the good news", believing that GOD will confirm his Word (Mark 16:20). Jesus spoke of the servant who hid his talent and said "I have fear!" Permit the powerful promise and perfect love of GOD to cast out all fear, and speak of it to those to whom GOD gives you the opportunity to direct the Good News. He will confirm his Word with power.

4. Your country: a promise of fruits (Matt. 13:37,38)
"The country is the World". Using a metaphor, Christ points out the evangelical process: Go and gather.

For the farmer, the field s a promise of harvest. The expanse of the terrain gives the vision of a good harvest. After narrating the parables of the sower, (verses 3-9) and of the wheat and the tares (verses 24-30), Jesus interprets them: "The field is the world". The scene of Christ's images signals the process of evangelization at the world level: Go out and sow. The field may appear fertile or may not; it could be affected by drought (spiritual need) or by insects (spiritual opponents), but, in any case, the field calls us to the work. Lift up your eyes (Prov. 29:18; John 4:35-37).

5. The Gospel and "the end" (Matt. 24:14)
God looks after everyone; Jesus died for each person, and the Word of God is for all the nations: before the "end".

In these words, Jesus links the testimony of the Gospel to all the world with his Second Coming. The text contains: 1) an anticipation of the future ministry, "This Gospel will be preached", which includes the message of the kingdom grace about the forgiveness of sins and the power of salvation; 2) the stage where the evangelistic effort should take place, "to all the nations", including every human group; 3) a certainty that the "signs" will give testimony (see Mark 16:15-20), of the restitution in Christ and his power to save and heal. When Jesus' words correctly speak of the Father's desires toward the nations of the world: GOD cares for all peoples; Jesus died for each person; and the Word of GOD is for each nation; until "the end" comes.

6. Commissioned under the calling of the King (Matt. 28:18-20)
Jesus urges his disciples to think, live, and pray that his kingdom comes to all the earth.

As the theme of Matthew is Christ in his role of King, it's not surprising that Jesus' final commission to his disciples reflects the global dimension of his kingdom. By instructing them about the life and principles of the kingdom ("kingdom" appears more than 50 times in Matthew), Jesus urges his followers to think, live and pray that his kingdom comes to all the earth (6:10). In chapter 13, his parables illustrate the global expansion of the kingdom (v.33). As his disciples begin to minister, Jesus tells them to preach in all parts, "the Kingdom of GOD has come". Finally, in the period leading up to his ascension, the King gives the Great Commission. In this most important commandment to go to all the nations, he ordains that with his teachings and message they will bring the nations into his kingdom (28:18-20). The LORD predicts, in prophetic terms, that the end will only come when "this Gospel of the Kingdom" has been preached "in all the world, for a testimony to all the nations" (24:14). "Nations" (Greek ethne) means communities, human or ethnic groups": Today about 22,000 exist on our planet.

7. Commissioned in the spirit of Christ's servant (Mark 16:15-18)
God seeks those who serve without hope of repayment, unselfishly and obediently, to exalt the Lord and make him known to the world.

To understand the Great Commission in this Gospel, we must capture the sense of emphasis that Mark makes about Jesus as the Servant. The messianic prophecies, such as Isaiah 42:1-21; 49:1-7; 50:4-11; 53:12, predict that, in his position as Servant, Jesus would do a specific work and act with an unconditional and spotless obedience.

Mark emphasizes Christ's position as Servant by omitting his genealogy (through which the other Gospels establish his identity), showing that as servants of Christ, we should also act according to the spirit of a servant, something essential for the fulfillment of the Great Commission. Christ seeks those who have to serve without any desire to be recognized, and who deny themselves and obediently try to exalt Christ and make him known to all. Such servants define their personality and ministries through their devotion and obedience to Jesus, and their readiness to serve with total selflessness. The only exercise of power that these servants use is to extend the love of GOD, dedicating their lives to the lost, ill and slaves of sin. They act thus, whenever and wherever the sovereignty of GOD leads them, through giving themselves totally to the work of the LORD, or through their prayers of intercession. The love and obedience of the Servant Jesus compels his servants to render him faithful service unreservedly.

8. Commissioned to go with Christ's compassion (Luke 24:45-48)
To comply with the Great Commission requires a greater vision of the time to minister compassion and human interests.

Luke's emphasis on the Great Commission is in consonance with his theme: Christ, the Son of Man, which shows the balance between Jesus' humanity and divinity. The beauty and singularity of his character, divine as well as human, is revealed in the fact that he, who is divine, brings sinful man to the holy GOD. In his life of perfection and holiness, Jesus reflects compassion for humanity that is suffering and stained with sin, broken, infirm, mistreated and sad. Our fulfillment of the Great Commission requires compassion and profound human concern in a worldly sense. Jesus' style - sensitive and accessible - constitutes a calling to his followers to respond with promptness to his commandment and to do so with his compassion. No geographical frontier, no barrier of sin, and no particular interest in regards to race, politics or economy, will be able to restrict our efforts to announce and propagate the gospel.

9. Commissioned with a mandate and a message (John 20:21-23)
We are not sent merely with the substance of the message: salvation; we are sent to bring the spirit of his truth: forgiveness.

The Gospel of John presents the deity of Jesus, the Son of GOD, as GOD. He has created all things (1:1-3) and as GOD He has come to redeem all, to bring the fullness of divine forgiveness. His disciples share this aspect of his mission; Go to the world announcing the forgiveness of GOD. It is declared here as a mandate and as a mission: 1) "Thus I also send you". Precisely, in the same manner that the Father sent the Son to bring salvation to all the human beings that he created (3:16), thus we are sent so that all may hear that divine message. 2) "To whom you remit" is a phrase that manifests the conditional nature of his provision. One cannot respond to it unless one hands himself over. We are sent as bearers of the substance of the message - salvation - in order to bring the spirit of its truth: forgiveness. Only the strength of his Spirit, which is poured out upon those who first hear these words, enables us to march obediently toward that objective. The message - salvation - and its significance - forgiveness - are ours, with the obligation to surrender ourselves. We need to receive the Holy Spirit to do both things.

10. The mission and the last promise of Christ (Acts 1:8)
We receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit first - the power to act - then we encounter the lost and declare with boldness that Jesus is the Son of God.

In five references in the New Testament, Jesus directly charged his disciples to go and preach the gospel to all the world (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-18; Luke 24:45-48; John 20:21-23; Acts 1:8). Here, the Great Commission is preceded by his promise of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit. The provision of power for evangelization at the world level is inseparable tied to this promise. Obviously, it's necessary to receive this power if people are to make the gospel fully their own. But, before that, there is another matter that awaits resolution. The Holy Spirit has come to persuade us that we must go. We need power to serve with effectiveness, to heal the sick and to deliver those who are possessed with unclean spirits. We must first receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit, or rather, power to act, to go. Then, the LORD will give us: 1) power to seek the lost; 2) authority to energetically declare Jesus as the Son of GOD; and 3) power to establish his Church, locally and through the length and breadth of the world. The frontiers are very clear for the expansion of the preaching of the gospel: "...and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem (local), in all Judea (national), in Samaria (transcultural) and to "the end of the earth" (international). The final commandment given by Jesus here on earth manifests GOD's power and will to fulfill with the work of the evangelization of the world.

11. The only road to salvation (Acts 4:12)
There is no authority, personality, system, or philosophy that is able to save the human soul, apart from personal trust in Christ.

The calling to take the gospel to the nations is based on the following premises: 1) that mankind without Christ is lost, dealing with the whole race or with the individual; 2) that "in no other is there salvation; because there is no other name under heaven, given to men, whereby we must be saved"; in other words, that there is no other authority, no other personality, no other system or philosophy that can rescue the human soul. Even if there are some who defend the possibility of a human hope apart from the personal trust in Christ Jesus, The Word of GOD denies such propositions. In II Corinthians 5:17 to be "in Christ" is the only way to enter into the "new creation" and receive the eternal salvation promised by GOD.

12. Christ: the absolute necessity of each human being (Rom. 3:23)
To carefully examine the Word of God helps us to understand and remember that all humanity desperately needs the gospel of Christ.

The evangelization of the world requires that we see people as GOD sees them, as sinners: 1)By nature (3:10); 2) By their own decision (3:23); 3) By their behavior (6:23). Certain blind attitudes and excuses that some believers in Christ have made don't warn about the desperate state of the lost: "For the wages of sin is death" (6:23). Universalism or ultimate reconciliation are terms that describe the erroneous belief of some that, at the finish and the end, even the eternally lost will be freed from eternal justice. But Paul said, "Judging this: that if one died for all, then all were dead" (II Cor. 5:14). Because he saw the lost as GOD sees them, he said that the love of GOD "constrained" him to dedicate himself to the evangelization of the world. The nations, that is, all human beings, desperately need the gospel, and are lost without it. A careful examination of GOD's Word helps us to capture and retain the conviction that all mankind needs the gospel.

13. The absolute need for a message (Rom. 10:13-15)
Some should be sent to preach, so that the people hear God's voice and believe.

"And how can they hear without a preacher?" (v. 14). This doesn't mean that we must enter into a public ministry to"preach" the gospel. The Greek word that is used here for "preacher" means "one who announces, proclaims or publishes", or it may be that a personal pulpit is assigned to each believer, in the home, the community, the office or school, from which to show and tell others about the news of the gospel". In 1:14, Paul declares, "I am debtor", and thus rightly alludes to his sense of obligation. Why? The response in Ephesians 2: Man is dead and needs life (v. 1); man goes the way of destruction and needs liberation (v. 12); man lives without hope and is in need of GOD (v. 13); he is separated from GOD and needs Christ (v. 14). Jesus constitutes the evidence of man's need: he is lost and needs to be found (Luke 19:10). The answer is here: some need to be sent to preach, so that the people can hear and believe. There is no other way.

14. The calling to go "beyond" (II Cor. 10:15,16)
God calls his people to go "beyond" the Christian community and to cross frontiers to reach people.

Paul's words about announcing the gospel in "places far away from you", reveal that it's never satisfactory to reserve the message for the exclusive benefit of the Christian community. Or likewise, as John Wesley said, "The world is my parish!" This text proclaims the mandate given to the Church to go "far away from you". Christ's orders are clear: "go, and make disciples of all nations" (Matt. 28:19); "Preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15); "Repentance and the remission of sins should be preached in my name" (Luke 24:47); and "As the Father sent me, thus I also sent you" (Acts 1:8). When the commandment is fully obeyed, the promise will be fully fulfilled.

15. The time to sow in our life (Gal. 6:7,8)
A consecrated life guarantees that we share with Him of the fruits of the world.

The law of the sower and the harvest is in the same heart of evangelization at the world level. In John 4, Jesus designated with a divine Now the time of our labor in the harvest of souls (see John 4:35-38). Here we are reminded that our time of life is our "time of sowing", and the harvest of our life will bear multiple fruits of the seed sown, if it is sown wisely. This truth invites us to abandon all reserve and give GOD the best of our lives, so that He can raise up a rich harvest. Hosea 8:7 proposes the same principle, by referring to the power of "sowing" for evil instead of for GOD. The truth opens a way through this comparison. If evil is sown (the flesh) a whirlwind is harvested. How much more can sowing for good (for the Spirit) give place to the great power of GOD, which came as a rushing wind on the day of Pentecost! Couldn't the spirit manifest himself as a hurricane of power if we are found sowing for the LORD? A life in GOD's hands constitutes a guarantee for the growth of his work throughout the world.

16. Called to triumph (Rev. 5:8-10)
The last triumph of the Great Commission will be the gathering, around God's throne, of an innumerable multitude of people.
The book of Revelation prophetically describes the depth of penetration that the gospel will have over the nations. 1) In verses 8-10, John's vision assures that people of every tribe, language, people and nation will be redeemed by the blood of Christ; and 2) that they will assume his role of intercession and his authority as believers, in their function as kings and priests, reigning "in Christ" while they are on earth (verses 8:10). Even more, Revelation reveals that the spiritual war will continue until "The kingdoms of the world...(come)...to be of our LORD and of his Christ; and he will reign for ages and ages" (11:15). The messenger (the gospel) has to go to all who inhabit the earth: to every nation, tribe, language and people (14:6,7). Revelation 7:9-12 predicts the consumation of the Great Commission, and how an uncountable number of people will be congregated around the eternal throne of GOD. How this profound prophetic vision motivates us to give ourselves to Jesus. We are destined to triumph!

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WITNESS (IDB) - a person who gives testimony; testimony given for or against someone, often in a law-court setting, where there is considerable concern for the truth of the testimony. "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor" (Ex. 20:16; Deut. 17:6; Prov. 25:18).

A witness can also be a guarantee of the accuracy of a transaction (Jer. 32:10,12,25,44). The Old Testament prophets often pictured GOD either as bearing witness against Israel (Mic. 1:2) or as challenging Israel to bear witness against Him (Mic. 6:3). GOD is also seen in the Old Testament as witnessing covenants between Himself and the nation of Israel or individuals (Deut. 31:19-26).

In addition to these general uses, witness is also used in connection with the distinctively religious message of the Bible. GOD witnesses to the believer about His assurance of salvation: "The Spirit Himself beareth witness with our spirit that we are children of GOD" (Rom. 8:18).

The believer's life and word also serve as a witness to the world. Sometimes this witness to the world is represented in the witness of the apostles, who are Christ's special witnesses - witnesses of His resurrection (Acts 1:22; 2:32; 10:41; 13:31). However, the command to witness in Acts 1:8 has implications for all believers. It applies to the new Christian community the similar command that was given to ancient Israel (Is. 43:10,12). The believer's model in witness is none other than Christ Himself (I Tim. 6:13; Rev. 1:5).

EVANGELIST (from The Holy Spirit, by Billy Graham, pub. Word Publishing, Nashville, Tenn., pps. 180-184)

The term "evangelist" comes from a Greek word meaning "one who announces good news."

In his excellent book, Good News Is for Sharing, Leighton Ford points out something that comes as a surprise to some Bible students. The word translated "evangelist" occurs only three times in the New Testament: (1) Luke called Philip an evangelist (Acts 21:8); (2) Paul said GOD gave evangelists to the churches (Eph. 4:11); (3) he also urged Timothy to "do the work of an evangelist" (II Tim. 4:5). The gift of evangelism, then, is simply a special ability in communicating the gospel.

The evangelist's message almost necessarily centers around the "content" of the gospel. The evangelist primarily is a "messenger"; he is a deliverer of "the good news." Incidentally, the evangelist in his proclamation may teach and do the work of a pastor, but his primary message centers in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, His coming again, and the need for all men everywhere to repent and believe.

The evangelist is the special proclaimer of the good news that GOD was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. The Church through history has missed great blessings because some denominations have not as clearly recognized the gift of the evangelist as they have that of the teacher or pastor. Indeed, sometimes evangelists have been ignored or opposed by churches, as in the case of John Wesley, whose mission was rejected by his own church. Despite this, in almost every generation GOD has raised up evangelists, who often have had to pursue their calling outside the structured church.

Caricatures of evangelists abound because false evangelists in the Elmer Gantry image have libeled the hundreds of true ones throughout the world. But then the same can be said of some pastors, or teachers, who turn out to be false. A well-known pastor, teacher, or evangelist is often a special target of Satan. The higher the visibility, the easier the target. That's the reason those well known for their gifts need to be surrounded by prayer constantly on the part of GOD's people.

True evangelism speaks to the intellect and may or may not produce emotion, but its main job is to speak to the will. At times the gifts of teaching and evangelism are given to the same person. Some of the most effective evangelists I have known were essentially teachers who informed the minds of people even as they pricked their consciences by their use of the Word of GOD. I have known many teachers and expository preachers who claimed they were not evangelists - but indeed they did have the gift of evangelism! For example, though the late Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse was a pastor/teacher, I have met many people who received Christ through his ministry.

Unfortunately, some evangelists spend too much time thinking and even planning about how to achieve visible results. This is an easy trap to fall into. Evangelists rightly desire to see results, but the gift itself is not a guarantee that these will be immediate.

The Reverend James R. Graham, Sr., pioneer missionary to China, proclaimed the gospel for three years without seeing results. When asked if he ever became discouraged, he replied, "No. 'The battle is the LORD's, and He will deliver it into our hands.' "

Nowhere do the Scriptures tell us to seek results, nor do the Scriptures rebuke evangelists if the results are meager. Men and women do make decisions wherever the gospel is proclaimed; whether publicly or privately, some say yes, some say no, and some procrastinate. No one ever hears the gospel proclaimed without making some kind of decision!

We should never forget that Noah was a preacher of righteousness. Yet after an evangelistic and prophetic ministry of 120 years only those in his immediate family believed and entered the ark (Heb. 11:7). On the other hand, some who obviously had the gift of evangelism have modestly subdued their gift because they are afraid of being accused of nonintellectualism, emotionalism, commercialism, or being too concerned with statistics. These are subtleties of Satan to keep the man with the gift of evangelism from being used.

For example, I remember there was a time in my own ministry when we quit keeping statistics (due to criticism). We found almost immediately that the public press exaggerated what was happening, and often used the wrong terminology. For example, we were in one city and the newspaper the next day reported, "1,000 saved at Billy Graham Crusade." Two things were wrong with that headline. First, only GOD knows whether they were saved or not - that is the reason we call them inquirers and not decisions. Second, it was not 1,000, but less than 500 (over half of those who came forward were trained counselors). Thus, we went back to giving accurate statistics.

Evangelism is not limited to professional evangelists, that is, those whose lives are wholly spent in this calling. The gift of evangelism is also given to many lay people. Philip is the only person in the Bible who was called an evangelist, and he was a deacon! In some sense every Christian who is not called to the vocation of evangelism is still called upon to do the work of an evangelist.

People often misunderstand the methods of evangelism. One can use hundreds of different methods, but it is the message that counts. Let us take note, however, of what evangelists cannot do. They cannot bring conviction of sin, righteousness or judgment; that is the Spirit's work. They cannot convert anyone; that is the Spirit's work. The evangelist can invite men to receive Christ, and exhort them. But the effectual work is done by the Spirit as He works on the minds, hearts, and wills of the unsaved. We are to take care of the possible and trust GOD for the impossible.

Yet there is more. If the evangelist is to carry on a truly effective ministry to the glory of the LORD, the message must be backed by a spirit-filled, fruit-producing life. Jesus promised, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men" (Mark 1:17). He provides the strength, through the Spirit. I urge all Christians to do the work of an evangelist - whether they go into full-time evangelism or not! I believe they have no option. It is a command from our LORD Jesus Christ, and the general injunction of Scripture. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:19,20).