JESUS CHRIST CALLS EVERY CHRISTIAN TO EVANGELISE

When the Lord Jesus Christ had accomplished His earthly mission of dying for mankind's sins, reconciling man with God, opening heaven for all who qualified, resurrected from death as He said He would and was now about departing this world, He gave the Apostles what is today known as the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20:

And Jesus came and spoke to them (Apostles), saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples (believers) of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

Another name for disciples is believers. This same message of the Lord Jesus is stated thus as recorded in the synoptic Gospel of Mark 16:15-18, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My Name (Jesus), they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;

they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick and they will recover."

It is written in verse 20 "And they (Apostles) went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the Word through the accompanying signs. Amen."

Dear friend, I can categorically tell you that one of the reasons the Apostles could not resist the command to preach the Gospel is because of the beauty of the message - Repentance, Salvation, freedom from sin, signs and wonders and divine blessings from God in the name of Jesus Christ.

Anyone who has tasted the beauty of God's Salvation in Christ will become a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17), will enjoy many beautiful experiences here on earth and will always be eager to spread the Good News to others to invite them into the Kingdom of God to experience the very same blessings.

What this means is that anyone who calls himself or herself a Christian or follower of the Lord Jesus Christ is expected, as Jesus commanded His Apostles and also commands us, to go out and spread the Gospel message. How is one to do that? By word and deed.

If our word and deed in dealing with our fellow human beings consistently match the commands of Jesus Christ, we are preaching the Gospel because Jesus' name is glorified in our words and actions.

We are also expected to draw the attention of those who are not living right according to God's commands to the danger they face by such lifestyle and the need for them to repent sincerely, turn to Jesus Christ, believe in His sacrificial death for sins on the Cross of Calvary and accept Him as their Lord and Saviour so they can be sure of making eternal life if they remain in Christ Jesus till the end of their stay on earth or at Rapture when the Lord returns to take His Church anytime NOW.

The Lord Jesus Christ has promised a reward to faithful believers who engage in the work of evangelism and soul winning for Christ.

As the Word of God tells us in Proverbs 11:30 "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise."

It is written in Daniel 12:3 "Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever."

It is written in James 5:19-20, "Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins."

In God's Word, Paul writes in his letter to the Corinthians in 1 Cor. 9:22b, 24-25, "I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things.

Now, they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown."

Paul also told the Thessalonians in the Bible book of 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20, "For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For you are our glory and joy."

Dear friend, by now you should see the importance of evangelism. No one can afford to be a nominal Christian doing nothing except go to Church on Sunday to worship the Lord, pay tithes and offerings as the Lord has commanded.

Every believer is expected to work DILIGENTLY for the Kingdom of God in soul winning not only in obedience to Christ Jesus' commands but also in anticipation of the reward Christ will bestow on His believers who have obeyed His commands to win souls and live in righteousness.

It must be noted as a warning, though, that in the work of evangelism when the accompanying signs and wonders take place to confirm God's presence and authority, it is the name of Jesus Christ that pulls down the power of God to accomplish the signs and wonders He promised in His Word as we read in Mark 16:15-18.

Therefore, believers should not get carried away to think it is by their own power or righteousness this is happening, and MUST ALWAYS in all humility give all glory to the Lord Jesus Christ as the one doing it. This way, they will not fall into temptation, sin against God and lose their eternity.

Dear friend, this is very, very important to note because the Lord Jesus clearly warns against this attitude in Matthew 7:21-23, "Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

Many will say to Me in that day, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your Name, cast out demons in Your Name, and done many wonders in Your Name?

And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!"

No doubt, there is Great Power in the Name of Jesus Christ. He calls us to be His witnesses and win lost souls from satan's kingdom of darkness into His (Jesus') wonderful kingdom of light.

We must do this with all humility and faith in the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ, living our lives according to His commands of righteousness so that not only will we accomplish His mission to save lost souls destined for hell, we would also ourselves escape punishment in hell and enter eternity with Jesus and obtain our eternal rewards.

Dear friend, Jesus calls us all to accept Him and enjoy the benefits forever. He owns everything including our lives and souls. We have everything to gain in obeying Him and everything to lose FOREVER in disobeying Him. Which will you choose?

May the Lord God bless you as you heed His Word today, act on it and share with others in Jesus' Mighty Name, Amen.

Gabriel Ama.