Work Matters (6)
Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” Matthew 9.37, 38
The work of evangelism
The apostle Paul referred to the task of evangelizing the lost as “work” (2 Tim. 4.5). Evangelism is the application of spiritual vision and truth to the task of helping others hear, understand, and respond to the Good News of Christ and His Kingdom.
Here is yet another aspect of the work we’ve been given to do, and we can be certain that, like all those we have considered thus far, this a matter of great significance with God. There can be little doubt that the Lord intended for our work to include consistent sowing of His Word into the Personal Mission Field He has assigned us, so that, in and through all our work, the word of the Gospel of the Kingdom will accompany and explain the transformed lives we live before the people around us each day.
Jesus said a great harvest of souls is waiting to be reaped for the Kingdom of God. All that is lacking is faithful laborers who will take up that work as their own and go like Jesus to seek and to save the lost (Lk. 19.10).
The work we’ve been given to do includes both the work of being a witness and of evangelizing the lost; we must not neglect this important aspect of what God has appointed for us, to bless our neighbors and bring glory to His Name.
Pray, friends, that God will raise up laborers for the harvest, and pray every day that you will be one of them.
It flows out of the life!
What is involved in the work of evangelism? Jesus said that we must first be witnesses before the power of the Spirit in us will enable us to proclaim a convincing message (Acts 1.8). But if we are working hard at our sanctification, at the work of the cross, and at the work of stewardship and our job, it will begin to be clear to the people who see us each day that we live a different kind of life than they do.
Why do we do the work of cross-bearing? Denying ourselves, seeking the best for others, being better listeners than most, speaking with grace, bearing with patience, ready always to serve and edify? Why do we pursue such works? Because this is who we are as Spirit-empowered witnesses for Jesus. And this is the kind of life that piques interest from our neighbors and lends credibility to our testimony.
Something about us will stand out as more humble, decent, available, loving, and concerned than most of the people around us. Where Christ rules in the heart, righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit are never very far away (Rom. 14.17, 18). Inclinations to wickedness are overcome by good words and deeds (Rom. 12.21).
Peter says that, when we have established Christ as Lord in our hearts and are doing our work in the hope of glorifying Him and living in His glory, others will notice. More than that, they’ll experience the touch of God’s grace and truth through the work we do with and for them. Then they’ll want to understand what makes us different. Out of the context of credible and compelling lives, we will declare the Good News of Christ and His Kingdom (1 Pet. 3.15).
Elements of a witness
For this, we will need to rehearse our own testimony of how God and His grace have worked in our lives. Just as Paul returned to his testimony over and over, explaining the various ways that God had changed his life by grace through faith, so we should continuously review and update and employ our testimony in giving a reason for the hope that is within us to all who want to know.
We see this in the psalms as well (cf. Ps. 18, 23, 107, etc.). The best place to practice your testimony is in prayer, giving thanks and praise to God for the work He has done in redeeming, saving, and sanctifying you over the years. We should do this daily, expressing again and again our gratitude for God’s having saved us. And if we will rehearse our testimony frequently in prayer, we will find that it comes more easily to us in talking with others.
But we must also know the Gospel and explain how the work of Jesus Christ redeems us from sin and establishes us in a new Kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy. And it will be good for us if we can be ready to defend or further explain that assertion against whatever objections, doubts, or questions may confront us.
The work of evangelizing the lost is inseparable from all the work we’ve been given to do; we must engage it as often as a door of opportunity opens before us, expecting that God will give us the words we need to enable those He is calling to find their way to Him.
In the Kingdom economy, we talk about matters important to us. And the work of evangelism matters, for it is by this great work, as each of us undertakes it in various ways, that the Kingdom of God breaks into the souls of lost men and women with the hope of glory and the gift of eternal life.
Every day the fields are ripe unto the harvest, and every day we go forth, either as faithful laborers for the harvest or as disobedient workers in this important area of our calling as believers. May the work of evangelism matter as much to us as it does to the Lord—and as it can to our lost neighbors.
For reflection
1. Meditate on 1 Corinthians 3.5-9. Salvation is an event. This is God’s work. Evangelism is a process. This is our work. Explain.
2. Are you confident that, if asked, you could give a reason for the hope that is within you? Do you pray for such opportunities?
3. What can keep you from becoming more consistent and effective in sharing the Good News with others? Meditate on Acts 17.32-34. When you do share the Gospel, what kinds of responses might you expect?
Next steps—Conversation: Today, ask the Lord to give you an opportunity to initiate a conversation about the Gospel. How can you prepare for this?
T. M. Moore
Give thanks
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Need to brush-up on the Gospel? Our booklet, The Gospel of the Kingdom can help. Learn more and order your copy by clicking here.
Men’s Reading and Study Groups. This fall we are offering seven free online reading and study groups for men. Click here for more information.
Other columns of interest this week: This week in our Read Moore we begin selections from our book, Understanding the Times. This book will be a valuable companion to our study of “The Kingdom Economy.” In our Crosfigell column we’re following Brendan, a 6th century Irish saint, as he pursues the Kingdom economy in his extraordinary adventures. On Monday our daily Scriptorium column begins a new series on the book of Ephesians. Click The Scriptorium tab to read the first installment on Monday. Use the subscription panel at the bottom of the home page to update your subscriptions.
Thank you.
Many of you are faithful and generous in praying for and supporting ReVision and The Fellowship of Ailbe. Thank you. I encourage all our readers to seek the Lord about becoming a supporter of The Fellowship of Ailbe. It’s easy to give to The Fellowship of Ailbe, and all gifts are, of course, tax-deductible. You can click here to donate online through credit card or PayPal or Anedot, or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
