Thursday Revival and Evangelism Training Service

28-04-2011
Topic: Evangelism: The urgent need of the Hour.
Text: Matt 24: 3-14

The most urgent assignment the church should engage in today is clearly set fourth
in our text – usually referred to as the Olivet Discourse. The Disciples of the Lord
Jesus asked Him a pertinent question: when shall these things be? And what
shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the world?” Matt 24:3.

Their question elicited and appropriate and prompt response from the Lord. Jesus
gave them signs of the end of the age: the appearance of false messiahs, reports of
wars, famines, pestilences, earthquakes, persecution of Christ’s followers,
betrayals, deceits of false prophets, iniquity abounding and the love of many
waxing cold (verses 4-12). In the midst of all these signs, the urgent responsibility
of the church is to preach the gospel “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be
preached in all the world for the witness unto all nations; and then shall the
end come” The message of Christ clearly emphasizes the priority, centrality and
urgency of evangelism as the urgent need of the hour. The shortness of time and
imminent return of the Lord compel the willing obedience of all believers in
ensuring that the gospel is preached to all nations and tribes starting from our
Jerusalem (immediate environment).
Three points in the message:
1. The definition and description of Christ’s command to believers to
evangelize
2. The dynamite in the obedient Christian
3. The demonstration of commitment

Point 1: The definition and description of Christ’s command to believers

to evangelize. Matt 28:19-20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:47; 19:10-13
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” These were the very last words
of Jesus before He left this world for heaven. These same words occur at the end of
Mark, Luke and John gospels. In Acts chapter one, the disciples asked an
eschatological question, but the Lord brought them back to the urgent need of the
hour in His answer. He reserved His words for the urgent need of the hour-
evangelization of the whole world. He tells us clearly what we are to preach:
repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. As the hearers repent and believe in
the Lord with evidence of genuine conversion and transformation of life, they are
to be baptized in water “Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost” the next step is their integration into the church as
they are taught the doctrine of Christ. “Teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you”. The teaching must emphasize repentance,
restitution, sanctification, separation, Holy Ghost baptism and other bible
doctrines. The imperative command is “Go ye into all the world and preach the
gospel to every creature”. This is the urgent need of the Hour to every believer
and every local church. We thank God the central programme this time in the
church is focused on evangelizing the lost “For the Son of man is come to seek
and to save that which was lost. Christ did not allow any thing to hinder Him
from fulfilling the purpose for which He came. The charge given to the church and
indeed every believer by the Lord is “Occupy till I come” with the grace of God
as well as the gift and knowledge of the gospel.

Point 2: The dynamite in the obedient Christian.

Psalm 51:7, 10-13, Isaiah 6:5-8, Isaiah 52:11, 7-8, Mark 5:15, 17-20, Acts 5:18-
20,28
In order to occupy effectively in the preaching of the gospel, the believer needs to
be empowered by the Holy Ghost. The Greek word for power is “dunamis” like a
dynamo, explosive or dynamite. The reception of the Holy Spirit starts at
conversion, when the believer receives a measure of the Spirit of God. The Holy
Spirit, it is, that wrought conviction in the sinner and helps him to repent and have
faith in the lord. He bears witness when he is born again. The thirst for inward
cleansing sanctification is also the work of the Holy Ghost. After the uprooting of
the adamic nature the Holy Spirit urges the sanctified believer to press on to
receive His baptism. The dynamite in Obedient Christian is the power of the Holy
Ghost, which starts from the point of conversion. The prayer of David at his state
of backsliding is very instructive. He sought for pardon and forgiveness, cleansing
and restoration of the joy of salvation. Salvation must be definite and sure before
we can attempt to preach the gospel to others. “Then will I teach transgressors
thy ways” However we must press on for a greater experience than salvation like
Isaiah did. The sanctification experience makes the believer more effective in the
work of preaching the gospel. When the Holy Ghost comes into your life in
fullness, He energizes you with fire and power to be much more effective in
preaching the gospel. Those who want to be empowered to preach the gospel must
have been totally delivered from evil spirits like the Gardarene demoniac before
they go forth to bear testimony of the goodness of the Lord. The change in his life
being “in his right mind”- made his people to believe in his testimony.

POINT 3: The Demonstration of Commitment

John 4:31-35; 9:4 Acts 8:4; 16:30-31, 1 Cor 9:19-22, James 4:17.

The lord Jesus Christ in his life exemplified the demonstration of commitment.
Though he was hungry, weak, tired, he did not hesitate to give the woman at the
well the water of life. The joy of seeing one soul saved and transformed gave Him
so much satisfaction that He looked away from his physical needs and said: “my
meat is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work” (John 4:34)
can we demonstrate this kind of commitment in time of needs, hunger, thirst,
tiredness and still regard evangelism as a priority’-the need of the hour. If you are a
real child of God, you will have the mind of Christ and demonstrate the same
commitment. The early church fellowed in the steps of Christ as it made
evangelism the centre of its activities: Therefore they that were scattered
abroad went every where preaching the word!

In the life of Paul, the apostle, we also find a demonstration of commitment. “He
made himself all things to all men that he might win the lost. We are called
today to follow suit to be obedient and practice what we hear from the word of
God. Except evangelism programmes remain in the church, sinners can not be
saved. We must spend and be spent for the preaching of the gospel.