Evangelism – consistent lifestyle! not effervescence

For the past few months I had been drawing your attention to the importance of Evangelism as a lifestyle.  Proclaiming the return of Jesus is central to our identity.  There are 400 other denominations that uplift the Sabbath, thousands of Christian denominations preach baptism by emersion.  Yet, there is only one unique movement that preaches the Three Angels Message, the focal point of the Revelation of Jesus, the hope for the future, and that’s us, the Seventh-day Adventists!  My expectation is that our church family takes it seriously.  Especially as we are preparing for the Revival week with pastor Fred Nichols in October.

From time to time as attention-grabbing events take place people get excited!  Over the past couple of weeks I got emails, and Facebook posts from people who are not frequent in church, who otherwise are not involved in proclaiming the Gospel, yet are caught in the excitement of blood-moons, papal visit to USA, Adventists running for the US President, muslims flooding Europe, and more. 

The new pope is an interesting person, ground breaking in many areas,  first Latin American pope, the first Jesuit pope, the first non-European pope in more than 1,000 years, and the first to choose Francis as his papal name after St. Francis of Assisi, champion of the poor.  BY the way, when popes chose a name they indicate their direction: John 24^th will follow the agenda of John 23^rd, Benedict 16^th followed similar path of Benedict 15^th.  The current pope has chose a new path – there were no popes named Francis before!  He has indicated that his approach is new and totally different.  His actions surprise even Catholics, as some are asking if he is a Catholic (Newsweek, Sept 18, 2015).  His call to devote Sunday as a family day alerts many to see it as a step toward fulfilling Bible Prophecy about end-days persecution of religious freedom.  This week as religious and political powers come together in USA we should pay attention, yet we should not speculate and fall into effervescence (excitement, fizz), which may soon evaporate J

We are called not to be spectators, getting excited with every unexpected movement, but to be consistent active players on the stage of the last-day events.  We ought to preach, teach and proclaim the Three Angels message of Revelation 14 daily, to our friends, colleagues, and especially our families!  The message is simple:  (1) Worship God, the Creator, by living life according to God’s Design; (2) the world around is not offering hope as it is fallen, corrupt and confused; (3) live counter-cultural life, come out of the maze and matrix of this world’s rat-race and be free of popular beliefs and customs.

Be busy till Jesus come.  Don’t sit and wait and speculate as to when, but use every moment to call loved ones to the Truth which is in Jesus.

Evangelism – Good News Mission

The word “evangelism” has been misused in so many ways that it has become a “bad news” for some.  Yet it is the essence of who we are and why we are here.  As we study this quarter’s Sabbath School lessons we were reminded every week that Jesus had sent his followers on the Mission to “GO!”  and it is not optional!  

This week I read a story that is heartwarming, and an illustration of what GOING and CARING does.  Honolulu, Hawaii-based photographer and law student Diana Kim traces her love of photography back to her father, who used to own a photography studio on O'ahu.  When she was only 5, that’s 25 years ago, her parents separated.  She stayed at relatives homes, friends, even had to live in parks and cars.  Yet she emerged successful person, having family of her own, husband and two sons, pursuing her passion for photography and law.  12 years ago, in 2003, as a student she started initiative dedicated to humanizing the homeless by sharing their stories, as she herself identified with their struggle.   She continued her work by going to the Law School. In 2012 while documenting homeless people on the streets of Honolulu, Kim came across her own father. The man who she remembered abandoning her as a child was now homeless, unwashed, dressed in rags, and extremely thin. Worst of all, he didn't even recognize her.  For the next two years, Kim kept returning to the street that her father called home. Sometimes he would be there, sometimes he wouldn't. Afflicted by severe schizophrenia, he was often unresponsive, or would argue intensely with the empty space in front of him. He refused to get treatment, take medication, eat, bathe, or wear any of the new clothes she brought him.  In 2014, she got a call from her cousin. Her father had suffered a heart attack. He was found face-down on the sidewalk, but someone called the police, and he was rushed to critical care at the hospital.  When she visited him at the hospital with her husband, just as they were about to leave, the homeless father opened his eyes and called her name “Diana."  She did not give up on him, and he got his “second chance.”

There are people in our families who need the “Second chance.”  There are friends and neighbours who are lost and don’t know it.  Jesus says “GO” and as you go give the GOOD NEWS.  Preacher, Dr.Mark Rutland, president of Global Servants ministry, shares a survey of words people in America love to hear.  #1 “I love you.” #2 “I forgive you.” #3 “Supper is ready!”   We love to come home J  & that’s the essence of the Gospel, that’s what the Evangelism is all about.  That’s what people need to hear – God loves you, expressed through your personal caring love for them.  They won’t believe you God Loves them if they do not experience that love from you!   People need to hear that they are forgiven, and experience by us also forgiving.  God is also inviting us all to his Wedding Supper of Christ Soon Coming.  Come Home, where you would be homeless no more!  In this world of brokenness and violence, where misplaced migrants are looking for shelters, where mental health is under assault every where all people need the good news that they are loved, forgiven, and have a promised home.  Hope is the Gospel.  Please GO and love people.

Evangeliving – calling friends and family OUT

This fall we will have two Evangelistic programs – October 17-24 with pastor Fred Nichols @ London main (South), and November 7-15 at the Living Truth Company, the new West London church plant.  The question I have for everyone – are you planning to invite someone?  Have you befriended someone new to introduce them to Christ?  Is there a co-worker that you are praying for and will invite him or her to hear the Gospel?  Is there a classmate that had been curious about your faith and it is a time to introduce them to why you are Adventist?

You have heard this before – more than 80% of people who are in church today were invited by a friend or a family!  Public evangelistic proclamation works only when we bring our loved ones, and those we sincerely care for on our arm.  Do you believe that we, the Seventh-day Adventist church, have a unique mission and unique calling from God?  Have you considered that the mission to call out the Remnant, and the revelation of truth about last day events has been the core of our identity?  No one else gives this message of warning, and if your friends are good Christians, members of other denominations, they are missing out if you will not invite them to know God’s Plan more!

Recently I had a non-Adventist share with me their concern about the movement to unite Protestant Christians together with the Catholic and Orthodox Christians.  A person from an evangelical background was all upset that the work of the Reformation is being lessened as insignificant, that the difference in doctrinal teachings between Protestants and Catholics were downplayed.  I listened and thought to myself: “how much more should we be concerned as Adventists, when we have even more distinct differences!” The concern was raised by the recent developments of the “John 17 movement.”  Under innocent and pious guise of following the Prayer of Christ for “All to be One” a date had been set, October 31, 2017, the 500^th anniversary of Martin Luther nailing his 95 theses to the door of Wittenberg church, thus signalling the beginning of the Reformation.  Recently Doug Batchelor compared the work of Martin Luther, introducing the Word of God, the Bible in common language to the people, as the action of the sword wounding the papacy.  Over the past two decades much work had been done to heal this wound, to repair the breach.  Now, in preparation to the 500^th anniversary of the event a certain action is taken by a team of Baptist, Pentecostal, Catholic and other faith groups to put the past behind.  On Saturday, June 18, 2016 the movement will begin 500 days of prayer for unity, a day for a year of separation, culminating October 31, 2017.  Many protestants from different denominations are alarmed.  What will they do?  Are we sounding the message of the 2^nd Angel “Come out of her my people?”  Do we proclaim to our friends, neighbours, acquaintances, that this was prophesied and the world will be united, but for the wrong cause?  People need to know that there is a movement committed to the Truth as it is in Jesus, and would not compromise it even for the sake of Unity.  You heard the slogan “each one reach one” before.  Are you up for it?