Evangelism and the Local Church

Since the coming of the Messiah, the light of the gospel is meant to reach the nations, and that calling belongs to every believer. Rev. Jagt asks whether we are truly convinced of the gospel ourselves, whether our light is hidden within a close church community, and what practical steps a congregation can take toward its neighbours.

Outline

• We live in the age of evangelism. In redemptive history, God’s purposes were first focused on one nation. Isaiah promised that the Servant of the Lord would be a light to the nations, and with the coming of Christ that promise is being fulfilled.
• The task belongs to every believer. Christ is the light of the world, and those who know him become the light of the world as they bear witness to him. In Acts 8 it was the scattered members of the Jerusalem church, not only the apostles, who went about preaching the word. Every believer shares in Christ’s anointing as prophet (Lord’s Day 12) and must be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in him.
• Are we convinced of the gospel? Evangelism begins with self-examination. Paul was not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation. We are not merely people who follow rules and attend church, but people whose lives have been changed by the good news of Jesus Christ.
• Salt and light. Christ names two dangers for his people. Salt can lose its saltiness through compromise, and Reformed churches have generally guarded against that. A light can be hidden under a basket, and that is more often our particular struggle. How many people outside our own church community do we actually know?
• Leaving the bubble. Relationships with neighbours seldom form by accident. They require time set aside deliberately, such as an evening kept free to have neighbours over for dinner, and they may require brothers, and even office bearers at mutual censure, to hold one another accountable.
• The strengths we already have. A rich and systematic Reformed faith, a church community of a kind that is increasingly rare in a fragmented world, a gift for hospitality, and members who readily volunteer their time and energy.
• Begin with something achievable. Fergus North identified a small number of specific projects through a congregational review, and a congregation in Grimsby began a drop-in pizza lunch at the church during the warmer months. Each congregation should choose what suits its own community and then carry it out.
• A test of faith, and a reward. Evangelism tests whether we truly believe that the gospel is what sinners need and that it is greater than our fears. It is also deeply rewarding, for in sharing our faith we come to see more fully how rich it is (Philemon 6).

For discussion

1. How many people outside the Canadian Reformed community did you speak with in the past week? What would it take to change that?
2. Is our congregation more at risk of losing its saltiness or of hiding its light? What evidence do you see for either?
3. Which strengths of our church community could be offered to our neighbours, and which might keep them at a distance?
4. What is one achievable project that your congregation, or your own household, could undertake this year?
5. How might brothers, or a consistory, hold one another accountable in this without turning it into a burden?