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By: Robert E. Zink
December 19, 2022
Sometimes, we forget that our role in evangelism is not to save people. Our goal is not to break down false teachings, false systems, or false theologies. The task entrusted to our stewardship is merely the delivery of a message. The rest of the work depends on God's sovereignty, not our ability. Jonathan Rourke writes, "The task of the evangelist is not to bind Satan, but to break the cycle of deception by introducing truth. The fruitfulness of the effort is left to the will of God” (1). This understanding simplifies the goal of evangelism. It removes the superfluous activities we associate with evangelism and brings us back to the point that our goal is to introduce truth to a deceived world.
Noted for his evangelistic efforts, Christians frequently turn to Paul for advice about fulfilling the Lord's Great Commission, and a study shows that he affirms this same goal. Though they may be deceived and look upon the gospel as something of foolishness, the task is to preach truth by preaching Christ (a read through the first chapter of 1 Corinthians shows us this). Paul not only explains what to preach but also how to preach it. How, then, are believers to proclaim this message? Directly.
His letter to the Colossians begins to draw to a close, but not before Paul assures them that he is lifting them up in prayer and asks them to do the same for him. Specifically, he asks for them to pray for his witness for Christ with these words: “At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison – that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak" (Colossians 4:3-4).
In that prayer request, Paul identifies four marks for evangelism, the last of which shows that the message is directly-proclaimed (for a discussion on the other three points, please click the links at the end of this post).
"What does it mean to proclaim the message directly?" you may ask. A keyword gives us insight. Clear. We humans have a way of complicating things. Fumbling for words, we're likely to cause more confusion than clarity. Therefore, it's not a surprise that Paul desires to make the gospel clear. He adds some weight to this by saying that is how he ought to speak. The method of sharing the gospel is not to do so with lofty words or speech but in weakness, fear, and trembling so that the Lord's message prevails over man's words (1 Corinthians 2:1-5).
This short little verse of Colossians 4:4 should intrigue us. Paul desires to proclaim a gospel message that is clear. And yet, look at what Paul does . . . or rather, what he doesn't do. He doesn’t turn his attention to preparing his presentation. Much like a speech writer will revise and revise in order to bring clarity and strength to a message; we would expect Paul would do the same. But instead, he turns to prayer. That attitude is further evidence of the Lord's will over man's work in sharing the gospel. Not wanting to be a stumbling block to the message by an ambiguous or chaotic presentation, Paul leans on the Lord to help him be clear.
To this concept of direct proclamation, Paul's nearly identical prayer request to the Ephesians adds another word to what it means to proclaim the truth directly. In the previous verse, Paul urges the Ephesians to pray at all times, and then in Ephesians 6:19, he says, "and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel." Thus, the goal in directly proclaiming the message is not just to be clear but to be bold. In the next verse, he reminds them that he reminds them that he is in chains as a result of this message (Ephesians 6:20; Colossians 4:3).
Few of us would ever accuse Paul of being cowardly. He enters situations that most of us would avoid in an effort to continue sharing the good news. Paul had every reason to be cautious. Though it is good news, it is not always received in goodness. Paul is not in prison as a result of this message. He had to flee Iconium (Acts 14:6), and at Lystra, he was even stoned and left for dead (Acts 14:19) because the truth incites hatred and antagonism. Few of us would fault Paul for being fearful about sharing further, yet, he persists forward, and we see that here. Thus, the second aspect of directly proclaiming the gospel is to do so boldly.
Evangelism is not determined by the circumstances; it is not determined by the culture; nor is it determined by the communicator. Evangelism is determined by the Commission. The Commission is to make disciples, and by allowing us to see his prayer request to the Colossians, we learn four marks of that commission. It is prayer-initiated, God-directed, and Christ-centered. Now we see it is also directly-proclaimed. Seeking to break the cycle of deception, we introduce truth clearly and boldly so that they may call upon the one whom they have not heard otherwise (Romans 10:10-14).
This article is the last installment in a series on the marks of evangelism. You can read the other articles by clicking the following titles:
(1) Jonathan Rourke, “The Common Case of Unbelief: A Biblical Perspective on Unbelievers” in Evangelism: How to Share the Gospel Faithfully. John Macarthur, Ed. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2011), p. 34.
