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Scripture makes it clear that God calls some to the five ministries in the church (cf. Eph 4:11). This includes the ministry of evangelist. It is easy to believe that only these people are meant to proclaim God's word of salvation. At the same time, however, there are numerous passages in the Bible (cf. Mt 28:19) that call each of us to proclaim the Kingdom of God to our fellow human beings. In doing so, we experience struggles both within ourselves and from others. In all of this, we become faithful imitators of many Christians who have already walked the path by God's grace and brought glory to God with their lives (cf. Mt 5:11-12).
In the line with prophets, apostles and disciples
To proclaim the Kingdom of God, Jesus first chose and sent out the twelve apostles (cf. Luke 9:1). Then He sent out another 70 disciples (cf. Luke 10:1). Finally, He gave His command to all who followed Him (cf. Matthew 28:19). It becomes clear that we are all called, along with the apostles and disciples, to proclaim the Kingdom of God. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you ” (Matthew 5:11-12).
At this point in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says that the prophets experienced the same difficulties in proclaiming the word that we experience today. They, too, stand in the line of proclaimers of the word, along with the apostles and us.
It is impossible to remain silent.
The Beatitudes describe the life of a Christian, a student, in their everyday life. For Jesus' sake, one can only be persecuted if one's Christian faith is known. Jesus' further words from the Sermon on the Mount about the salt of the earth and the light of the world also make it clear that we are called by Jesus to have an impact in our surroundings, or rather, that Jesus is to be revealed in our lives, in our social environment. "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).
Our good deeds should not be attributed to ourselves, but to the Father. "You are a good person," a colleague at work might tell me, but how does the aforementioned Bible passage then become true if he doesn't know what motivated me to do good? It is actually the wonderful love of Jesus that brings about good deeds in my life.
The Apostle Paul also describes the problem of silence in his letter to the Romans. “How then can they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone who preaches to them? ” (Romans 10:14).
Jesus died on the cross for the people in our private lives, at school, or at work, too. God's love is open to them as well. This necessarily means that, although there are evangelists chosen by God in the church, Jesus has called us all to participate in this work and to proclaim His glory in the place where we are placed—in such a way that the people around us glorify the Father.
It's not always easy
One might think that we would encounter an easy and smooth path, since it is God's will that we are meant to carry out. It is indeed His will that He carries out in us. But the story of the Apostle Paul on his first missionary journey (cf. Acts 13-14) tells a different story.
Although the mission is guided by the Holy Spirit, every success is followed by resistance, until the spiritual battle is so intense that it can be a matter of life and death. First in Cyprus, where the Apostle Paul had to resist Elymas, the magician; then came the other cities of Asia Minor that he visited to proclaim the Kingdom of God: Antioch in Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe.
In Antioch, the proclamation was successful on the first Sabbath, but on the very next Sabbath they were driven out of the area because they encountered the envy of jealous adversaries.
Iconium – a similar event, but in the end there was also an attempt to stone Paul and Barnabas, after which they fled the city.
Lystra – initially a great success, but then Paul was stoned and dragged out of the city. When his disciples surrounded him, he got up and went back into the city. Finally, he preached in Derbe, where a large number of disciples came to faith, after which he made his way back through all these cities to his hometown. Paul's aim was to make his disciples understand that there would be resistance and difficulties on the way to the Kingdom of God. "They strengthened the disciples and encouraged them to remain steadfast in their faith, saying that we must go through many tribulations to enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22).
The Lord remained victorious, and Paul achieved this victory in his human body, bringing glory to his Lord by going where he was sent and doing what was commanded of him. But it was not easy. In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul writes that there were situations where he no longer hoped to survive, but surrendered himself completely to the Lord.
“ For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we suffered in the province of Asia. We were burdened with excessive hardship beyond our capacity, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we had a death sentence in ourselves, so that we might not put our trust in ourselves but in God, who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:8-9).
According to this account, the Apostle Paul, for the sake of Jesus' name, faced confrontations of the most varied nature, which demanded far more of him than he could humanly bear. Although we are not the Apostle Paul, and our challenges today often fall far short of the afflictions he experienced, we encounter the same temptations of the spiritual world, albeit to a lesser degree, and experience the same inner struggles as he did.
For example, there's the colleague who would love nothing more than to "convert" me to atheism. He blames all the evil in the world on religion and is constantly looking for opportunities to defend his position. As a Christian, I sometimes become the target of his resentment against God. This is neither pleasant nor easy. But how should I behave in this situation?
Image source: AdobeStock_603049740 @ Seventyfour
Not my will, but your will, Lord.
“Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, ‘Lord, spare yourself! This must never happen to you!’ But he turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, because you are not thinking in divine terms, but in human terms!’” (Mt 16:22-23).
Peter wanted Jesus to live and spare himself. But this desire did not come from God and deceived Peter. It was a diabolical thought, intended to make Jesus' mission even more difficult, even to thwart it.
Today, things are no different. Thoughts constantly arise that make our lives difficult or impossible for Jesus. These thoughts come from within, but also from without, yet the source remains the same. What's important is to recognize this and to continually adhere to the truth – not my will, Father, but your will be done.
The following must be taken into account for the proclamation:
- Jesus died for the person we are talking to (cf. Rom 5:8).
- It is more important to remain in loving conversation than to have the last word (cf. 1 Cor 13:1-3).
- A connection should be established with the other person through points of contact (cf. John 4:7-26).
- At the same time, we must hold fast to the full truth of Jesus (cf. 1 Cor 1:23).
The key to remaining in God's will can be found in the words of Jesus: "For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for my sake will find it" (Mt 16:25).
Overcoming in the name of Jesus
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
We are not alone in everything concerning our daily lives and our fellow human beings. Many others before us—prophets, apostles, disciples—glorified Jesus with their lives. We are not alone, for Jesus has overcome, and we are His followers. Not alone, for the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, dwells within us, comforting us in our experiences and instructing us. And perhaps not everything will be as it should be right away, but Jesus will teach, shape, and train us so that His name may be praised, and we may stand joyfully before His face with the comfort of His Holy Spirit.
“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; for they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death!” (Revelation 12:11).
Oleg Braun
Municipality of Burgdorf