The Four E’s of Discipleship: Evangelism

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Ephesians 2:8-9

For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— ⁹ not from works, so that no one can boast.

(CSB)

Acts 17:1-9 records the account of the brief ministry of the Apostle Paul in Thessalonica.  The account mentions that the brief ministry was successful with many of the God-fearing Greeks persuaded to join with Paul as believers.  While believers in Christ view this success as beneficial, it created jealousy in the hearts of some Jews and wicked men.  Their anger was due to the reputation of the Paul and Silas as among those that had turned the Roman world upside down (Acts 17:6).  Two thousand years later we must ask if a similar mob would find the church guilty of a similar crime. 

Pastor Joel Osteen has taken heat for statements that he does not preach about sin and damnation or anything hard to hear due to his belief that people need encouragement.  (1)  Granted, encouragement is one of the four E’s of discipleship and something we will discuss in a couple of weeks, but for discipleship to be complete it must include all four E’s, evangelism, establishment, encouragement, and empowerment.  This posting concerns the first E, evangelism. 

Jesus said He was the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).  As the sinless Lamb of God who while knowing no sin, took our sins upon him so we can have reconciliation with God through acceptance of Jesus as savoir, is the gateway to discipleship, and therefore, the first E of discipleship.  Jesus is the gateway to a relationship with God, seeking to establish, encourage, and empower disciples for Christ.  However, to enter into discipleship without entering the gateway of evangelism is like breaking into a house without the key. 

When one thinks of evangelism, they think of the late Billy Graham.  During his ministry, Dr. Graham preached the Gospel to an estimated 100 million people with an estimated three million responding to the invitation to accept Jesus into their heart.  (2)  While Billy Graham’s messages were not primarily fire and brimstone messages about hell, they did present people with the choice of choosing Jesus and eternal life or a life of sin leading to eternal separation from God.  Billy Graham served in obedience to Mark 16:15 by spreading the gospel message and Matthew 28:19-20 by taking many through the gate of evangelism by inviting them to accept Jesus as their savior.  The message of evangelism is simple and,

1)      Free through the grace of God (Ephesians 2:8) – Prior to the coming of Jesus, the Messiah, those following God had the law.  The law was illustrative of how one must life if they are to please God.  The foundation for God’s law is the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17).  Every person reading this that cares to be honest with themselves, must admit to breaking at least one of these commandments.  This truth means everyone reading this is on death row with God (Romans 6:23).  While God is a just God and must administer the appropriate penalty for sin, he is also gracious and allows a substitute to take the penalty for sin.  This is what Jesus did for all humanity (2 Corinthians 5:21) but it is not a blanket pardon and must be accepted for someone to realize its benefit.   

2)      Necessary to escape the eternal death of separation from God (Romans 6:23) – The truth of the substitutionary taking of our death penalty by Jesus is the evangelistic message of the Gospel, opening the path to discipleship while closing the door to condemnation from God (John 3:16-18).  There is no other way to avoid going down the pathway to eternal death and separation from God for the Gospel is not a fork in the road, but an offramp taking us to eternal life and away from death.  The purpose of evangelism is pointing people to the offramp. 

3)      The mission of the Church (Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 16:15) – The most important aspect of evangelism is that it is the primary mission of the church (Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 16:15).  When ministers of the gospel ignore the importance of evangelism in the discipleship process, they are asking people to take the offramp avoiding eternal death and separation from God without opening the gate.  If one were to attempt to exit a freeway when a large steel gate blocked the road, the result would be a massive crash.  Perhaps the reason the church today is not guilty of turning its world upside down stems from a loss of evangelistic focus. 

If you have never taken the offramp of the Gospel and accepted Jesus as your savior.  If so I invite you to pray with me now,

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, was buried, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

You have now entered the offramp of discipleship and a reconciled relationship with God.  Over the next three Wednesday postings to this blog, we will look at the other three aspects of discipleship which insure a vibrant and fulfilling relationship with God.  I encourage you to bookmark this page and join along. 

1. Idleman, Shane. Joel Osteen: Preach God's Truth; Don't Avoid Sin, Repentance. www.christianpost.com. [Online] The Christian Post, May 29, 2016. [Cited: March 30, 2017.] http://www.christianpost.com/news/joel-osteen-truth-sin-repentance-160365/.

2. Shelley, Marshall. Evangelist Billy Graham Has Died. www.christianitytoday.com. [Online] Christianity Today. [Cited: March 3, 2018.] https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2018/billy-graham/died-billy-graham-obituary.html.