Mosaic Church of Bellingham

It seems like there is always some new way, new program or new product that is sure to “get the message of Jesus out to people”. Well, I am personally done with the “ism” of “evangel-ism”.

An “ism” is basically a pre-packaged ideology. It can be used to express a doctrine, philosophy, theory, political movement, artistic movement, action, process, practice, characteristic, state, disease, prejudice, characteristic speech pattern or religion/belief system. So, “evangel-ism” is the packaging (and presentation) of our ideology of good news.

“Evangelism” comes from the word “evangel” (Euaggelizo or “evangelidzo” as a translation of the Greek), and simply means “to bring or proclaim good news”. An “evangel”, is a message of good news. “You won the Lottery!” would (in most cases) be an “evangel”.

When we take the “good news” and make it something we pre-package for mass distribution, it turns into “evangel-ism”. This is why evangelism becomes something that we are encouraged to “do” on a regular basis. We even have special events and times where we schedule it and get a chance to practice “evangel-ism”. But, being the “evangel” (good news) is not a box we can check on our “Things to do as a Christian” list.

Can you imagine Jesus telling His disciples, “Today we are going to go out to do evangelism.” I simply can’t imagine Jesus turning His life into a packaged ideology. Jesus instructed his followers to go and “preach the kingdom of God” (Lk.9:1-6). The disciples went out and we find them “preaching the good news”. But, we have to ask, “What was the ‘good news’ they preached”? Apparently, it was not just words that were said or handing out tracts, because we find in each case that they healed the sick and cast out demons (Lk. 9:6; 10:17). Their message was actually GOOD NEWS to the people who heard it.

What was the “good news”? It was that the King of all kings loved them and demonstrates it in how He acts. He didn’t just love them in words, he loved them in action. He loved their hungry bodies and fed them. He loved their blind eyes, deaf ears, diseased and paralyzed bodies, lame legs and healed them. He loved their souls and freed them from shame (Luke 7; Jn. 4). He loved their being enough to free them from demonization (Lk. 4:31-37). He loved their loved-ones and touched them (Mt. 8:9, 14). He loved them beyond this earthly life (Jn. 3:16). He loved their whole being and brought freedom, sight, release, life and whatever esle they needed (Lk. 4:18-21; Mt. 11:1-6).

The good news is that the people of this world are loved by the King and Creator of this world!

If this is true, then “evangel-ism” as most of us have known it, must give way to Christ-followers being “love-ing”. Not just loving the outcome of someone’s life, but actually loving them! Not loving them so that we can win them, loving them because they are loved by the One that we say that we follow. Our lives must become the “good news”.

So, I am encouraging our community to lose the “let’s evangelize” language and be loving people. Love your boss, your friends, your co-workers, your Profs, your teachers, your fellow students, your enemies, spouses, your children, your children’s friends, your fellow drivers, your persecutors, those who look like you, those from other countries (you can’t want to bomb them and love them at the same time), those who do what you want and those who do the very things you hate. Love the rich, the poor, the republican, the democrat, the libertarian, the communist, the homosexual, the trans-sexual, the bi-sexual, the socially exceptable and the socially outcast. Love…love…love…love…love…love…Love…LOve…LOV…LOVE…LOVE…LOVE…LOVE!!!