Category: Evangelism

Abraham: A Model For World Missions

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Evangelism, PracticalLeave a comment

Have you ever thought about how Abraham, a Jew, serves as a model for the Gentiles mission? I have been doing some reading and thinking in this area lately. Here is what I have discovered.

No Distinction Between Jews and Gentiles

In Galatians 3:27-29, we learn that there is no distinction between Jews and Gentiles. All who put their faith in Christ are offspring of Abraham. They are kingdom citizens who are grafted into Israel, and, as such, are heirs to the promise God has made to Abraham (Rom. 11:11-24; see also Eph. 3:1-6; Rom. 4:13-17).

This means the kingdom of God is a multinational community of faith, which includes Jews and Gentiles alike. That means us, all those who are non-Jews. We are apart of God’s kingdom. We are the offspring of Abraham. As his offspring, we are apart of God’s mission to bring redemption to the world.

Abraham: Our Model

In Genesis 12, Abraham teaches us how we might accomplish our mission. God comes to Abraham and tells him that He will bless him if he would leave his country and go to a land that the Lord would show him. In Genesis 12:4, we are told that Abraham listens to the Lord and leaves. In doing so, he exercises faith and obedience to God (Rom. 4; Gal. 3:6-29; James 2:20-24; Heb. 11:8-19).

If we use Abraham as our model, we learn that to be successful in, and apart of, God’s mission, we too must exercise faith and obedience. This means that Abraham’s faith and obedience to God are not merely models for personal piety and ethics. They are also the essential credentials for effective participation in God’s mission [1].

Christopher Wright says,

“Those whom God calls to participate in his redemptive mission for the nations are those who exercise saving faith like Abraham and demonstrate costly obedience like Abraham” [2].

He continues by saying,

“So then, what God promised Abraham becomes the ultimate agenda for God’s own mission (blessing the nations), and what Abraham did in response to God’s promise becomes the historical model for our mission (faith and obedience)” [3].

Questions for Reflection

  • Why do you think it is true that the faith and obedience of Abraham is a historical model for our mission?
  • Do you believe, like Abraham did, that God will use you as His kingdom agents to bring redemption to the nations?
  • How are you doing with exercising faith that God will use you?
  • How are you doing at being obedient to God’s command?

Resources

[1] Christopher Wright, The Mission of God’s People, 80.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.

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God’s Heart for the Nations

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals, Evangelism4 Comments

Did God’s plan for Israel fail resulting in Him creating another plan that included the nations? Let me say right off I believe the answer is no.

God’s Plan Has Always Included the Nations

Even though the Old Testament is primarily focused on the nation of Israel, we see a glimpse of God’s desire to save all nations. Resulting in His mission as always being focused on, and including, the nations.

Since God’s mission has always been focused on the nations, we, as God’s ambassadors, are to take up His mission to reach all peoples with the gospel.

With that in mind, let’s look at some key verses that I believe shows God’s heart for the nations.

Key Verses Showing God’s Heart for the Nations

Genesis 12:1-3

Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

God tells Abraham that all the families of the earth will be blessed in Him. He then is the source of blessing. From him comes the Messianic seed, Jesus, who is the Christ. It is Jesus who will bring redemption to all nations and all peoples (Gen. 22:18; Gal. 3:17; Matt. 1; Acts 3:26).

In Psalm 22:27-28, we are told that the Lord will rule over all nations and all nations will worship Him. Granted some will bow down unwillingly, but many will bow down willingly to God as their Lord and Savior.

All the ends of the earth shall remember
and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations
shall worship before you.
For kingship belongs to the LORD,
and he rules over the nations.

In Psalm 67, the Psalmist prays that God would bless the nation of Israel, so that His blessing on them would cause all the nations to know He is the one true God and worship Him.

May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us,
that your way may be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!

The earth has yielded its increase;
God, our God, shall bless us.
God shall bless us;
let all the ends of the earth fear him!

In Isaiah 56:3,6-7, the foreigner is not kept from joining Himself to the Lord. Rather, he will be brought into God’s holy mountain. His  sacrifices will be accepted, and he will experience the joy of the Lord.

Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say,
“The LORD will surely separate me from his people”;
and let not the eunuch say,
“Behold, I am a dry tree.”

“And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD,
to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD,
and to be his servants,
everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it,
and holds fast my covenant—
these I will bring to my holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house shall be called a house of prayer
for all peoples.”

In Zechariah 2:10-11, we are told that many nations will join themselves to the Lord.

Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst, declares the LORD. And many nations shall join themselves to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you.

So then, after reading the verses above, we are not surprised at what Paul writes in Ephesians 3:1-6

For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

As well as we are not surprised that in Galatians 3:28-29, Paul tells us that all those who believe in Jesus Christ will be saved, and that all those who believe in Jesus by faith are Abraham’s offspring.

Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

Conclusion

The nations were not an afterthought. The Gentiles were not God’s Plan B. He has always had a concern for the nations. His desire has always been for them to experience salvation.

While Israel is God’s special people, experiencing special privileges, they are not God’s only people. Rather, they were the way in which God deemed right to bring salvation to all peoples. In short, Israel was God’s first ambassadors. They were how God manifested Himself to the nations. They were God’s light to the world.

Through God working in Israel the gospel has been made known to the Gentiles. As well as the gospel has been believed by the Gentiles because they were also foreordained to be God’s people.

So then, God has always had a heart for the nations. It has always been His plan to bring salvation to both Jews and Gentiles alike.

Application

Now that we know God’s mission, we are to take up His mission. We are to be His ambassadors, bringing the message of the gospel to all nations, so that all nations will experience salvation.

Questions for Reflection

  1. How are you doing at being a light for God where you work, live, and play?
  2. If we took our mission seriously, do you believe there would be more people reached with the gospel?
  3. Are you allowing the world’s comforts to stop you from sharing the gospel with others?

Resource

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Be an Ambassador

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals, Evangelism3 Comments

Have you ever thought about your purpose in the world? Have you ever thought about what it means to be an ambassador? I am sure many of you have thought about your purpose in the world, but few of you have probably thought about what it means to be an ambassador, let alone if you are an ambassador.

In my last post, What is My Purpose in the World?, I answered the first question by concluding that,

When we image God to others by our actions and our words, we are taking up God’s mission to reach the nations with His gospel. When we take up God’s mission, then and only then are we accomplishing our purpose in God’s story, which means we have found our purpose in this world.

So we know what gives us purpose, namely, imaging God. It is possible for us to image God by reflecting His character and sharing His gospel because we are redeemable.

Why We are Redeemable

We are redeemable because we have been made in God’s image. Since we are made in His image, we are able to understand His actions in Jesus Christ, as well as we are able to understand His Word, which tells us what His actions in Christ mean.

My last statement brings up an important point. Without God’s Word, the Bible, we would not know the importance of Jesus’ actions. God’s Word is then a crucial aspect to our understanding of God’s plan, and it is what we must share with others. As God’s ambassadors, we are to share His Word with our neighbors and the nations.

We are God’s Ambassadors

An ambassador is someone who delivers a message on another’s behalf in their authority. The United States has ambassadors who travel to other countries to conduct business on its behalf. Just like the US has ambassadors, God has ambassadors. Those who are saved by Jesus Christ, who are professing believers, are God’s ambassadors.

In 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 we read:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

We who are reconciled by God through Christ are God’s ambassadors. Our job as His ambassadors is to implore (call someone earnestly) to believe in Jesus Christ, so that they will then be reconciled to God and enjoy the salvation we enjoy.

Looking Forward

In my next post, I will discuss our motivation and how we are empowered for this task. For now, let me give you some questions for reflection.

Questions for Reflection

  1. Do you see God’s Word as crucial for understanding God’s work in the world?
  2. Do you see yourself as God’s ambassador, or do you believe this is left up to the professionals?
  3. What are some ways you can begin acting as God’s ambassador right where you work, play, and live? (Need some ideas? Read: How to Meet the Unchurched.)

Resources

Bill Clem, Disciple: Finding your identity in Jesus, 11-35.

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Sermons To Motivate You to Spread the Gospel

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Evangelism, Pastoral, PreachingLeave a comment

Here are three messages I heard at the Together for the Gospel (T4G) Conference this last week that I would like to share with you. These messages have spurred me on to evangelize the lost, articulate the gospel, and pray about mission work. I hope they do the same for you.

Thabiti Anyabwile | Will Your Gospel Transform a Terrorist?

Albert Mohler | The Power of the Articulated Gospel

David Platt | Divine Sovereignty: The Fuel of Death-Defying Missions

The Functional Centrality of the Gospel

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Evangelism, Practical, What is the Gospel?5 Comments

How does the gospel function as the central doctrine in our Christian walk? Mike Bullmore has been particularly helpful to me in answering this question. In an article I read recently, he informs his readers as to how the gospel functions as the central thing in our Christian life.

Defining: Gospel Truths and Gospel Conduct

In answering these questions we need to first understand the difference between “Gospel Truths” and “Gospel Conduct.” Bullmore says, “Gospel [T]ruths are specific, concrete doctrinal implications of the gospel.” Whereas “Gospel Conduct” is the connection the Bible makes between the gospel and our behavior.

Scriptural Evidence: Gospel Truths

“Gospel Truths” are concrete doctrinal implications of the gospel that take their shape from the gospel itself. In other words, because of the gospel, we have peace with God (Rom 5:1). Because of the gospel, we are not condemned (Rom 8:1). Because of the gospel, God will graciously provide for us (Rom 8:32).

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Rom 5:1).

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Rom 8:1)

“He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Rom 8:32)

Scriptural Evidence: Gospel Conduct

“Gospel Conduct” is the connection the Bible makes between the gospel and our behavior. In other words, because of the gospel, we are to flee sexual immorality (1 Cor 6:18-20). Because of the gospel, we are urged to forgive one another (Eph 4:32). Because of the gospel, husbands understand how to love their wives (Eph 5:25). Because of God’s generosity in the gospel, we are to be generous (2 Cor 8:7,9; 9:12-13).

“Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (1 Cor 6:18–20)

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Eph 4:32)

“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,” (Eph 5:25)

“But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also….For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” (2 Cor 8:7,9)

“For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission flowing from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others,” (2 Cor 9:12–13)

Implications of the Functional Centrality of the Gospel

When we see that “Gospel Truths” stem from the gospel itself, and when we meditate on those truths, our mind is renewed and we experience peace, no condemnation, and assurance God will provide for our daily spiritual and physical needs.

When we see that “Gospel Conduct” stems from the gospel itself, we begin to understand the power for change does not simply lie in our own power. Were it not for the gospel working in our lives, we would not be able to flee sexual immorality, forgive others, love our wives correctly, or be generous with our money and time.

Conclusion

The gospel is at the center of our Christian lives, and from it stem both “Gospel Truths”, which work to renew our mind, and “Gospel Conduct”, which works to renew our actions. Were it not for the gospel, our minds would not be renewed, nor would our conduct change. As a result, the gospel must always be proclaimed as the way to change. Without it, we are powerless and are not able to change or grow in our Christian walk. This means we must always ground our imperatives in the indicative. For if we do not, then we are teaching our people to be moralists.

Resources

Blog: The Primacy of the Functional Centrality of the Gospel in Paul’s Letters

Article: How Should the Gospel Function in the Life of the Local Church

Image: Evgeni Dinev / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

How to Meet the Unchurched

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Evangelism, Pastoral, Practical3 Comments

In order for us to reach the unchurched in our cities, we have to get to know them. Often times this can be difficult for Christians. Between all of our church activities, our kids sports, and fellowship with other Christians, it can seem difficult to make the time to befriend those who are not running in our same circles. However, if our desire is to reach our community for Christ, and it should be, we have to find ways to interact with those who are non-Christians. With that in mind, I want to offer you a few suggestions that might help you to interact with those outside of your church circles.

Ways to Interact

Encourage Your Kids to Play on a City Sports League

Kids typically play sports, and as their parent, you are the one who takes them to practice and watches their games. Since you are already involved in this activity, why not enroll your child in the city league instead of placing them on a church team? By doing so, you will have the opportunity to get to know the other parents, who may or may not be Christians.

Sign Yourself Up for a City Sponsored Sports League

We all need exercise, and most of us enjoy playing some sort of sport, so why not play it with your neighbors? City sports leagues are a great way to interact with those living in the community. The common bond helps to build relationships with those you would not ordinarily come in contact with, allowing you the opportunity to speak the gospel into their lives.

There are many different leagues to play in: Soft Ball, Kick Ball, Basketball, Soccer, Rugby (if you are a real man), etc.

Join a Local Club

If you do not have a hobby, you need to get one. It is a great way to relieve stress and keep you sane. If you have a hobby, why not consider doing it with others in your community? There are many different clubs you can join: Book Clubs, Chess Clubs, Cycling Clubs, Running Clubs, Photography Clubs, etc.

Get Out of Your House

Another way to meet those in your neighborhood is by getting out of the house. Do yard work when your other neighbors are out. Walk around the block. Office outside of the house. I spend a lot of time at Starbucks, which has allowed me to get to know the employees and frequent customers, and it has led to many opportunities to either speak into their lives, or share the gospel with them.

Attend Events

If a buddy from work invites you to come over and watch the game, take the opportunity. He may not come to church with you, but hanging with him at his house is a great opportunity to start building into him, getting to know him, and hopefully having the opportunity to share the gospel with him. In addition, people typically invite more than one person over to watch a game, so it can be a great opportunity to meet their friends.

Invite Co-Workers or Neighbors Over For Dinner

Sharing a meal with someone is a great way to get to know them. It is non-threatening, and provides a lot of time for conversation. You may not be able to get your neighbor to attend church with you, but I bet they will come over for a free dinner.

Conclusion

Those are a few suggestions as to ways we can meet non-believers, get to know them, and speak the gospel into their lives. Yes, it takes a little effort, and may even force us out of our comfort zone, but it is worth it. I also hope you have seen that you can accomplish this feat without changing your current schedule too much.

Image: Now and Zen Photography / FreeDigitalPhotos.net