The life of the evangelist who saves the field
Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Hymn for scheduled worship: Korean/English Hymnal #510 Brightly Beam Our Father’s Mercy (#276 in previous version)
After Jesus completed his three years of public ministry, he left behind the following words as he ascended into heaven: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” God has given us the Gospel and commanded us to evangelize. The Gospel saves me, and evangelism is saving others and the field. Many people in the world are aware that they have to evangelize, but are conflicted because it seems to not be taking place. But because God has called us as the people of greatest blessings, if we simply think about one thing, we will enter into the blessing of evangelism. It is the work of the Holy Spirit and the filling of the Holy Spirit. How must we begin this?
1. Action to receive strength
Joseph and David were greatly moved by the spirit of God. Elisha received a double portion of the spirit, and Paul implored Timothy to be strong in the grace that is found in Christ Jesus. They all received God-given strength. But our spiritual state is desolate, and our hearts are so frail to the point that we succumb to bouts of depression. We stumble because we are unable to overcome trivial problems riddling our environment. In order to receive God-given strength, there are some things that we must absolutely put into action. We must begin spiritual prayer as we meditate and look to God while breathing deep breaths that heal the depths of our hearts through regular exercise within the Gospel. Answers will come from this point.
2. Eyes to see people
To save the field, we must personally have the mystery by which we can receive strength from God. But we have a tendency to always look at the outward appearance of others. True evangelism, however, is being able to accurately see a person’s spiritual state and the state of their inner self. Mankind apart from God will absolutely have spiritual problems; we are simply adept at disguising it. But in the field are prepared workers, reliable workers who yearn for the Word, disciples who will save the field, and people who are ready to stake their lives for the sake of the evangelism movement. When we have God-given strength, we can give them answers.
3. Eyes to see the field
We will not only save people, but we will save the field once we see it properly. The field is mostly tied down by culture, fortune-telling, and religion. When the important time schedule arrives for someone mired in this, we need only give them answers through the Gospel. We may not know a great deal about evangelism, but God will give the evangelist the answer of uniqueness.
- God, please fill me with the Holy Spirit to enable me to save not only myself, but the church and the field. T
aiwan Conference Lecture 3 / 2011.2.1